Harry Potter and the Ghost of Amity Park
by BJA Fan
Summary: HPDP Crossover Hogwarts is no longer safe, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione are relocated to a small Muggle town. Not just any town, though: Amity Park, home of the infamous Danny Phantom. It's all AU from here, folks. Unplanned hiatus. Oops.
1. Chapter 1

All right, so I really shouldn't be starting a new story, since I have a lot of stuff to do on my other account, but I couldn't resist. For the sake of this story, DANNY, SAM, TUCKER, AND ALL OTHER STUDENTS IN AMITY PARK WILL BE SIXTEEN YEARS OLD.

Warnings: Half Blood Prince spoilers. Nothing else, I don't think.

Disclaimers: Sadly, I don't own Harry Potter or Danny Phantom. And surprisingly, I don't really want to.

Please read and review! INSPIRE me, people!

* * *

Today, Privet Drive was abnormally sleepy, the only signs of life being the lights inside of the boring, orderly houses lined up neatly side by side. A small storm had brewed yesterday, but had now rained itself to a small drizzle. At 4 Privet Drive is where the tale begins, with an ordinary looking boy slumped over his chair, head leaned sleepily on his hands.

Looks can be deceiving, they say, and in this case those words have never been truer. This 'average' boy was, in fact, Harry Potter, a teenager who had survived a deadly curse cast by the most evil wizard all mankind had ever known when he was only a baby. The curse had rebounded and hit the wizard, Voldemort, instead, causing him to lose all his powers. He became a mere shadow of his former self and fled. However, Harry's parents had been killed trying to protect their son.

In Harry's fourth year at the wizardry school, Hogwarts, Voldemort returned after an unforeseen incident in the infamous Triwizard Tournament. Harry escaped in time and alerted the magic community of Voldemort's return. Unfortunately, they didn't believe him.

It changed in Harry's fifth year. He and a group of other students had ventured into the Ministry's Department of Ministries on a rescue mission. It turned out to be a trick of Voldemort's, used to lure out Harry and a prophecy about him, but, once again, Harry escaped. This time Harry's rash act had serious repercussions: Sirius, Harry's godfather and father figure, was killed by his cousin, a Death Eater.

Harry's sixth year of school had been the most memorable, in a bad way. He learned that Voldemort had split his soul into seven pieces, some of which were inside of objects called Horcruxes. Three had already been destroyed, but four were still out there. Worse, Harry didn't know what some of the Horcruxes were or where to find them.

And Snape had turned traitor.

He had killed Dumbledore, the man Harry had respected most.

To Harry, Dumbledore had been more than his headmaster. He had been the grandfather he had never known, a guardian, of sorts, who would always help Harry out of tight situations. Without him, the wizarding world would fall to pieces soon. Snape's act of betrayal went deeper than any hate, and Harry was almost sure that, the next he met the greasy git, he would kill him. Sooner or later, he would hunt him down.

Harry gazed out the window at the rain pattering softly against the glass. The Durselys had left him alone the whole time he had been at 4 Privet Drive (which wasn't that long—the holidays had only started two weeks ago). Harry mostly stayed in his room, coming out only for meals, the bathroom, or a breather. As stuffy as his room was sometimes, he couldn't stand the glares and the tension created every time he stepped in a room his aunt, uncle, or cousin was in.

Harry didn't have much contact with the wizarding world so far, but from what he read in _The Daily Prophet_, things were going from bad to worse. When Dumbledore was still there, the magical community still retained a slight semblance of order. Without him, Muggle-born witches and wizards were already disappearing left and right, and the Ministry—useless as usual—was thrown into chaos. The worst of it was that, from what Harry heard from other people who lived through Voldemort's last reign of terror seventeen years ago, this was probably just the beginning.

The Order of the Phoenix hadn't been in touch with him, and neither had Ron and Hermione, for the most part. He hoped they were okay. He couldn't imagine what it would be like if—

_Crash._

Harry shot out of his bed, startled by the loud noise that was soon followed by a piercing Aunt Petunia-ish scream.

"_MORE OF **THOSE **AGAIN?_" came an unmistakable roar from downstairs. Definitely Uncle Vernon.

Death Eaters or the Order? Friends or foe? Harry crept out of his room and down the stairs, poking his head past the doorway into the living room. He smiled in relief when he saw a group of about seven people that most definitely were not Death Eaters.

"Hello, Professor Lupin—"

A nod and a smile.

"—Moody—"

A gruff twitch of the head and an electric-blue eye swiveling to glance at him briefly.

"—Tonks—"

"Wotcher, Harry," Tonks said, forcing a half-hearted grin.

"—Mr. Weasley—"

A cheery "Hi, Harry!" and a brief but interested glance at the TV.

"—Kingsley—"

"Hullo."

"—er, I don't believe I've met you before—"

"Name's Richard Madson, Harry, nice to meet'cha."

"—Professor McGonagall?" Harry asked, surprised. "I wasn't…er, expecting you."

Professor McGonagall certainly looked worse for wear. Her hair, usually up in a tight bun, was slightly disheveled, and she had large bags under her eyes. Her wrinkles seemed to have multiplied like bunnies and her cloak was frayed and had a washed-out look to it.

"We had very few people to spare at the Order, Potter," she answered, voice tinged with fatigue. "As you may know from reading the _Prophet_, V-Voldemort certainly hasn't been wasting his time."

Harry nodded, glancing towards his aunt, uncle, and cousin. Uncle Vernon was, unsurprisingly, purple in the face with blotches of red around his cheeks, while Aunt Petunia and Dudley were crouched behind him, peering out carefully from around his shoulders. A shattered vase lay on the ground, no doubt the remains of one of Uncle Vernon's unsuccessful and unneeded attacks against the Order. Harry was reminded of the time Mr. Weasley had been forced to dodge flying ornaments when he crashed through the Dursleys' fireplace, and suppressed a chuckle.

"Come on, Harry," said Lupin. "Let's get upstairs and pack your trunk. Sorry about the unexpected visit, by the way."

Harry grinned. "S'okay. Most of my stuff hasn't been unpacked yet, so it won't take long."

Ten minutes later, Harry's trunk was downstairs and the group of wizards and witches were ready to go. Under the glares of the Dursleys, the Order, with Tonks lugging Harry's trunk, departed 4 Privet Drive.

They walked down the street for a few minutes, shielding their heads from the light drizzle with their hats and hoods. A question suddenly sprang up in Harry's minds.

"Er, where are we going to…wherever we're going?"

"The headquarters?" Tonks answered cheerfully. "By bus, since we can't Apparate near the Order, and flying on brooms is too dangerous now." Leaning closer to Harry, she whispered, "But I think it's 'cause McGonagall's afraid of heights. She can't fly very well, y'know. Near knocked Moody's head off his shoulders when she tried flying on a broomstick last week. Ah, here we are," she said, straightening up.

The group had long left the clean, orderly houses in Little Whinging and was now trudging towards a rusty, lopsided bus stop. A one-eyed hobo glanced at them suspiciously, then saw Moody's mismatched eyeballs and grinned.

_Me and you both have weird eyes! We can be Freaky Eye Buddies! _his body language seemed to say.

Moody glared.

A few minutes later, a rickety bus that spewed thick, black smoke screeched past the bus stop. Realizing he had passed the group of people waiting to get on, the driver cursed and drove back with a sharp twist of the wheel. Tonks squeaked when the bus ran over the curb and almost flattened her foot.

"Do Muggle bus drivers usually drive like this?" Lupin asked, bemused. "I haven't been on that many Muggle vehicles. Guess you'll have to help us out, eh, Harry?"

Harry paled. He was _not _looking forward to showing a group of wizards how to ride a Muggle bus.

* * *

Elsewhere, all the way in Amity Park, USA, a black-haired boy was abruptly awakened by a bald, overweight teacher snapping a ruler on his desk.

"Mr. Fenton, may I inquire as to _why _you're asleep in my class again? Need I remind you that this is the _third time this week_?" Mr. Lancer asked, putting a strong emphasize on the last few words. The class sniggered. This was an almost daily occurrence during class, but they still found it funny each time. However, Danny's two friends, a Gothic girl named Sam Manson and a tech-whiz named Tucker Foley, didn't laugh and instead glared at the class.

Danny rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Uh, sorry. I stayed up late last night, um…doing my homework."

"Which you did _not_, by the way, turn in today," Mr. Lancer added dryly. Raising his eyebrows, he asked, "Is there something going on at home that I need to know about?"

"Nope, everything's fine," Danny answered. _Except for the fact that I'm always up in the middle of the night trying to fight the never-ending number of ghosts that keep appearing out of the Fenton Portal, _he added silently.

Mr. Lancer sighed and walked past his desk.

"Now, who here can characterize Sara Louise from—"

As his teacher's voice droned on, Danny drifted off to sleep again, only to be rudely awakened by a ball of paper bouncing off his head. Looking up to see who had thrown it, he saw Sam motioning toward the paper with her hand.

Hey Danny, which ghost escaped last night?

**Skulker. You think he'd give up after the 43rd failed attempt to 'lay my pelt at the foot of his bed,' but noooooo…**

Ha! By the way, have you heard that the house beside yours that's been for sale since forever has finally been bought?

**No, I was busy fighting ghosts.**

Well, rumor has it that they're a super-rich family from Britain with three teenagers, and they want to live a "quiet, peaceful life in America" or some crap like that. My parents are probably clamoring to kiss up to them already.

**From Britain? Bet they're going to be rich little snobs who like to have 'tea and crumpets' or whatever—**

"Passing notes, are we?" Mr. Lancer said, looming up from behind Sam and Danny. "Well, I'm afraid I'll have to take that." He snatched the paper from Danny's hands and was about to read it when the bell rang.

"Well, whaddya know!" Sam said as she sprang up from her seat. "Bye-Mr.-Lancer-see-ya!" she said as she quickly yanked the note out of Mr. Lancer's hands and hurried out of the classroom. Danny and Tucker followed her, hot on her heels.

"Just one moment—" Mr. Lancer called out to the trio, only to discover they were long gone.

"Teenagers…" he sighed, rubbing his bald head.

* * *

The bus driver practically threw them off the bus when they arrived at Grimmauld Place, muttering angrily about "crazy foreign lunatics." Harry suspected it had something to do with they way Mr. Weasley repeatedly pulled at the emergency brake string and how Tonks and Lupin (well, Tonks actually—Lupin played peacemaker) had started a fight with an old couple who had been scandalized by the age difference between the pair when they saw them holding hands. Of course, there was the fact that Richard had accidentally Vanished the door…but everyone was 99 percent sure that no one saw it—except the bus driver. Moody even tried to persuade Professor McGonagall to wipe his memory.

"Oh, quit being so paranoid, Mad-Eye," Tonks chirped, looping her arm around Lupin's elbow. "Muggles like him always find some excuse for magic." As the group marched up to a ramshackle house that seemed to have suddenly appeared out of nowhere, Tonks caught Harry's look of apprehension. She glanced at him reassuringly. "We won't be there long," she explained vaguely.

"…oh. Are we going somewhere?" he asked casually.

"You'll see," McGonagall cut them off shortly.

Lupin took his wand out and tapped on the door. Harry heard the familiar sounds of chains and locks clanking, signifying the door unlocking itself. They were soon packed inside the small area right inside the door while Kingsley fumbled for a light.

"It's here…somewhere…almost got it—ah-ha!" Immediately the hallway was flooded with lights. Harry looked around. The house was about the same as the last time he was here, although it was slightly less mildew-infested. The troll-leg umbrella stand was nowhere in sight, although he could still see some moldy curtains hanging over something in the wall. Harry heard a group of people walking noisily down the stairs and glanced up.

"But that's all the way in—"

"I know, but security's—"

"I think it'll be fun experience for you, don't you agree, Fred?"

"Marvelously, George—"

"_You're _not the ones going all the way—"

"Er, hey guys," said Harry.

"Harry!" Hermione and Ron shouted in unison. "How are you? We picked you up as early as we promised, didn't we?"

Harry grinned. "Sure did. How's everyone?"

"Oh, everyone's okay…well, as okay as everything can be while all this…stuff with…Voldemort is going on…" said Hermione, grin vanishing.

"—but, hey, did you know Bill and Fleur already have their wedding planned out?" Ron asked, hurriedly changing the subject. "Of course, they had a slight change of plans, since we have to leave soon—"

"Just where are we going, anyway?" Harry asked. "Everyone's been saying we'd be leaving, but where are we leaving to?"

Mrs. Weasley suddenly poked her head in the room and beamed when she saw Harry, immediately going up to him and smothering him with a hug. "Harry! How are you, dear? Have the Dursleys been treating you all right? You lot come in the dining room now, we're about to have a meeting, and, yes, you're allowed this time, as it concerns your future plans in Hogwarts."

Harry, Hermione, and Ron all followed Mrs. Weasley into the dining room, where Professor McGonagall was sitting at the head of the table. Lupin, Tonks, Mad-Eye, and Mr. Weasley sat next to her, leaving a few empty seats for the trio. Mrs. Weasley bustled around, preparing dinner.

"Potter," McGonagall began primly, "I'm afraid to inform you that Hogwarts…is no longer safe from Voldemort after…after the death of the headmaster." At this, McGonagall gave a suspicious sniff. "There are…some suspicions that the castle has been broken into recently."

A collective gasp came from the three teenagers. Hogwarts? No longer safe?

"Does that mean I'll have to go back to the Dursleys?" Harry asked, disappointed.

"Nope," Tonks answered. "In fact, I think you might like this arrangement. We're opening Hogwarts as planned, but with extra Auror protection—the Ministry's finally coming to its senses. However, this is just to throw Voldemort off. You, Ron, and Hermione will be sent somewhere else, and I assure you that security will be extremely tight—we employed more than twenty Aurors, so it had better be worth it. Besides, as McGonagall said, quote _there is nothing more important than your education _unquote. Hopefully Voldemort won't notice our little trick until your school year's over."

Harry frowned. He didn't like the thought of going to _school _when everyone else would be busy doing useful things like fighting Voldemort. And he still had the Horcruxes to go after…

But better to know what was going on, right? "Where will we be sent?" Harry asked.

"Amity Park, USA."

* * *

Wow, that was a lot longer chapter than I usually write. I'll try and make other chapters as long as this, but I'm not promising anything. Sorry. )

Remember what Mr. Lancer said about Sara Louise? Whoever can guess which book she's from gets a free cyber-cookie! She's from one of my favorite books.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everyone, after much prodding from Phantom of a Rose, I've finally updated! You people know it's really hard for me to crank out these 2000 word chapters, right? ;)**

**Have you heard of the new episode of Danny Phantom coming out on June 9th? It's another movie, and it sounds so awesome! A short summary is in my forum.**

**Thanks to Phantom of a Rose (see? I'm updating!), blindyourears, My Eternal Façade, SalanTrong, Mysterious Prophetess, SolaCatella, charizardag, ShiroandFubuki, GhostAnn, Shiva the Sarcastic, Darth Frodo, silvermoonphantom, Half-NariMaruko, and Ohka Breynekai for reviewing. Also, say hi to my new beta, SolaCatella! She was kind enough to look over my story and help me fix a few plot holes. **

**One more thing—Please reread the second half of chapter one, as I have changed a few aspects of the story. Sorry for the inconvenience! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter.

* * *

**

"The United States?" Harry asked. "But…that's so far away! Voldemort's killing more and more people each week, and I want to help, not sit around doing nothing!" Beside him, Hermione and Ron nodded in agreement.

"We want to be useful," Hermione added. "Not hiding behind everyone like sitting ducks."

Professor McGonagall sighed. "I understand how you feel, but at the risk of repeating myself, it is vital you receive your full seven years of schooling. There are still things to learn, and you won't be of much use to us if you don't know enough magic."

When seeing that Harry still didn't seem convinced, Tonks added seriously, "It was one of Dumbledore's last wishes. He would've wanted you to finish your education before hunting down Voldemort or participating in the Order."

"I guess we're going to Amity Park then," Harry said after a long pause, defeated.

* * *

_**Harry Potter and the Ghost of Amity Park**_

_**Chapter Two: (To the tune of George of the Jungle) Ron, Ron, Ron of Amity, Look out for That Ghost! (AKA "The Author was on Crack/Pot/Some Kind of Medication when Making Up the Title and the Horrifically Long Alter-Title of This Chapter")

* * *

**_

"Daaaaad, can you _please _just act normal for once regarding the subject of new neighbors?" Jazz groaned, banging her head on the table ("Ow…"). Jazz had started college last fall, and unlike most little brothers, Danny admitted that sometimes he missed her. Not only was she someone great to run to for advice, she had helped Danny out of tight, ghost-related spots more than once. He was thankful for summers, when his sister was back from college (if only for three months).

Danny shrugged as he grabbed another cookie his mom had made, chuckling lightly. "I don't know…I think it's kinda funny," he said through a mouthful of food, watching his dad lug up surveillance equipment from the lab. Sam was eyeing Tucker with disgust and amusement as he stuffed four cookies into his mouth simultaneously, chewing furiously.

"Yeah, lighten up, Jazz," said Sam. "Danny's dad has been doing this ever since you guys moved here. It's almost like a tradition or a new-neighbor initiation thing."

"But it's _embarrassing_!" Jazz moaned. "I mean, there was this one time the Turners almost got impaled by Dad's Ghost Finder even though there was _nothing even remotely sharp on the invention_, and that other time the Roths got sprayed with that nasty goo from a malfunctioning invention, not to mention when the Fenton Fisher tangled up the Graysons and oh, need I also bring up the time the Logans—" (1)

"Now, now, Jazzy-pants," Jack Fenton interrupted, "no need to worry this time. I've got everything fixed and ready—"

"—that's what you said last time—"

"I've got these high-powered binoculars to spy on—um, observe our neighbors—"

"—and, knowing your spur-of-the-moment inventions, it'll probably blow up both our and our neighbor's house—"

"—and this new and improved Fenton Finder, which will see if our neighbors are _ghosts_!"

"—which _might_ just _accidentally_ fire rockets at them and kill them all—"

"Oooohhh, and the Fenton Fisher, which I finally untangled!"

"—and that has a hook which could tear someone's eyes out if you're not careful where you're aiming that thing—"

"And, last but not least, the Fenton Bazooka with a built-in radar and Fenton Finder!" Jack finished, apparently not noticing his daughter's comments. Danny's eyes widened and he choked on his cookie when the machine turned on, saying, "Hello, welcome to the Fenton Bazooka 3000. There is a ghost three feet behind you. You must be some sort of moron not to notice the ghost three feet behind you." Jack scratched his head, baffled, glancing at Danny who just happened to be three feet behind him. "Automated firing program initiated, missiles locked on target. Preparing to fire…" The gun nozzle automatically aimed itself in Danny's direction.

Jazz, Sam, and Tucker were sure Danny broke overland speed records dashing out of the house, screaming his head off.

"Man, what's up with Danny?" Jack asked, confused, then turned back to his ghost-hunting weapon. "Argh, stupid Fenton Bazooka. Guess there's still a few bugs to work out."

"Uh, we're gonna go find Danny," said Tucker as he and Sam jumped up, walking towards the door. "Tell Mrs. Fenton we said thanks for the cookies." Jack grinned and gave them the thumbs up, then picked up the binoculars and started observing the large house next door, frowning and muttering that the new neighbors might be ghosts.

A few minutes later, Tucker and Sam found Danny wandering around the backyard, looking at the neighbors suspiciously through a tall, thick bush. He yelped when Sam snuck up behind him, tackling him to the ground. Tucker popped out from nowhere, laughing.

"Man, you should've seen the look on your face when the Fenton Bazooka turned on!" he said. "You looked like a ghost! Hahaha! Get it? You looked like a ghost?" Sam and Danny stared at him in creepy unison. "Okay, yeah, bad joke. Anyway, what are you doing? Taking a leaf out of your dad's book and spying on the snobby new British neighbors?"

"Yes…no…sort of," said Danny, brow furrowing, good humor evaporating almost instantly.

"There's…I don't know how to say this…I think there's something weird about them."

"And this is coming from Danny Fenton, the half ghost?" Sam said sarcastically, quirking her eyebrow.

"No, really Sam, I think there's something seriously wrong about these people next door to us," Danny insisted stubbornly. "Some of them dress really funny, in these really long robes."

"So? I may just be some sort of a fashion statement where they come from," Sam said pointedly.

"And for the few minutes I've been standing here, I've seen at least twenty people go inside that house. _Twenty _people, guys, and I know that house is big but not _that _big. But the strangest thing I saw was that there was this huge wooden trunk _floating _past the window!"

"……You sure you're not just seeing things?" Tucker asked skeptically. "Or could there be a ghost in the house?"

"No, my ghost sense would've—" Danny began, but was cut off by a wisp of blue mist floating out of his mouth. He groaned. "I hate Murphy's Law, karma, and irony. Going ghost!" Two rings of light swept over him and soon a white-haired ghost stood in Danny Fenton's place.

"Go get the Fenton Thermos," Danny told Sam and Tucker, then flew off into the air, surveying the area to see where the ghost was. But he heard the ghost before he saw it.

"Yes, once again, I, Technus, master of all things electronic, am _free _to rule the world!" cackled a nasally voice. Danny whirled around, coming face to face with a trench-coat wearing ghost with long white hair and sunglasses.

"How the heck did you get out of the Ghost Zone so soon?" Danny asked, annoyed. "I mean, seriously, I just sent you back two days ago!"

"That is because I, Technus, am the ultra-hip master of all things technological, and soon, _the world_! Beware!"

"…Have you been hanging out with the Box Ghost lately?" Danny asked skeptically. "I mean, with the whole 'beware' thing, you kinda sound like him…"

"You have discovered the secret to my new hip-ness!" said Technus. "But soon, I shall—"

Danny blasted him with an ecto-ray before he had a chance to finish his sentence, rolling his eyes. "Your new 'hip-ness'? Oh, please, just shut up already so I can stuff you in the Fenton thermos."

Technus growled, floating back up. Raising his arms, he howled, "You will pay for that, ghost child!" Electrical equipment floated around him, swirling in a vicious gale. However, Danny had wised up over the years. Blasting with the efficiency of a true professional ghost-hunter, he managed to get rid of half the floating electronic devices before they had managed to latch themselves onto Technus, causing a rain of cell phones, computers, and radios to litter the ground. Angered, the ghost tossed a large TV at Danny, who didn't manage to dodge in time. With a strangled yell, he careened through the air, barely managing to make himself intangible when he saw his neighbor's house looming ahead of him.

Danny landed on the floor with a muffled grunt, his breath knocked out of him. He stood up groggily, groaning and clutching his head. He was about to fly out when—

"_Bloody hell_!"

Danny jumped at the loud voice, whirling around to come face to face with a tall, gangly redhead, who was gaping at him with eyes the size of saucers.

"Oh, crap," Danny groaned. "Look, kid, I—"

A loud clattering noise was heard before a boy with black hair and a round pair of glasses ran in. "Ron, what's going on? I heard you yell," he said, then caught sight of Danny. "Who are you?" he asked, coming to a halt and scrutinizing him suspiciously, a trace of fear on his face.

"Uh…" Danny was at a loss for words.

"Harry, he came crashing out of the sky, but I he went _straight through the roof without breaking it_!" the first boy half shouted. "Moody! Tonks!" he called. "Someone broke in!"

"What? No, you don't understand—" Danny began, but found himself staring cross-eyed down a thin wooden branch. "Uh…any particular reason you're pointing a _stick _at me?" he asked, puzzled. Harry scowled darkly, opening his mouth to speak, but was cut off when several loud popping noises were suddenly heard.

To Danny's amazement, at least five people had appeared in the room without warning, almost like they had teleported or something. A few were wearing those weird robes he had seen when he was spying through the bushes, and, strangely enough, they were all pointing _sticks _at him, just like the boy with the weird scar on his forehead.

"Okay, what's going on h—_oof_!" Without warning, Danny was knocked to the ground with a flying stereo as a shrill voice declared, "Ha! Didn't think I forgot about you, did I?" To everyone but Danny's bafflement, Technus phased through the wall, surrounded by beeping electronic equipment. He continued with his speech. "Now, I will destroy—huh?" Danny watched, mystified, as one by one the mechanical devices went haywire, going from a static screen to beeping to emitting sparks before completely failing altogether.

"Who are you!?" someone shouted over the cacophony of the dying electronics. "Wait, I mean more like _what _are you?"

"A ghost," Danny answered hastily, seeing Sam and Tucker glance at him through the window, then rush to the house, Fenton Thermos in hand. "Look, all of you, get out of here, it's dangerous!"

A pale looking man shook his head scornfully. "Everyone knows that ghosts can't even touch humans, let alone hurt—ARGH!" Technus had gotten up after grieving the loss of his technology, tackling the nearest person to him, which just so happened to be the man speaking. Ignoring the chance for a good I-told-you-so, Danny flew to assist the man, who was being choked by a hysterical Technus yelling, "What did you do to my precious technology?"

Danny blew Technus off with an ecto-blast, sending the ghost flying into a wall. Just then, the door burst open and Sam and Tucker rushed in, thermos in hand.

"Danny, catch!"

The thermos went flying, and Danny caught it in mid-air, taking advantage of the stunned Technus and sucking him into the container. There was shocked silence in the room, until Ron spoke up.

"…I know I never took Muggle Studies, but isn't that thing supposed to be a soup-holder?"

* * *

**(1)Anyone catch the references? ;D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Holy crap, where the hell are all these reviews coming from? Ha, well, anyway, I had a good time writing this chapter, and it's a thousand words longer than my usual chapters for this story. I have exams and a piano recital coming up, though, so expect delays for the next update. Sorry.**

**Thanks to phantom, the reviewer that didn't leave a name, SquirrelGirl13, The Violent Tomboy, HXCA, FoB, Vine Man, ABC, Azura Rain, Leppers, Reviewer, My Eternal Façade, Darth Frodo, Shadow49, Angel Frog, Sahxyel, DannysGhostWriter, Phantom of a Rose, charizardag, Ghostboy814, Halfa-NariMaruko, shadow929, ShiroandFubuki, and blindyourears for reviewing, and SolaCotella for beta-ing this for me!**

**Reviews are appreciated. :D

* * *

**

Danny was caught off guard by Ron's unexpected question.

"Uh…yeah, it's a soup-holder, but it's been modified so it could be used to capture ghosts," he answered. A red-haired man suddenly seemed to loosen up and became excited.

"_Really_? Can Muggles do that? That is amazing! I had no idea that tek-nogy had advanced so far!" he exclaimed, waving his arms around and nearly shoving his "stick thingie" up his neighbor's nose in excitement. "I mean, really, I think that's absolutely—"

"Don't worry, we Ministry Aurors are here!" a booming voice came from the doorway, and a red-faced man ran in, followed by a dozen of his lackeys. They were clearly from the Ministry of Magic, shown by the M intertwined with an M badge on their chests. The Aurors' eyes rested on Sam, Tucker, and Danny, who still had the thermos out and uncapped, aimed at the spot on the floor where Technus had been merely moments before. Their leader's minds automatically jumped to the conclusion that Danny was some evil subordinate sent by Voldemort.

"We're under attack! Fire at will!" their leader yelled. More than half of his group obeyed, while a couple seemed confused as to why they were supposed to be afraid of a white-haired boy and his two friends. (They were probably the ones with good common sense.) However, soon, they all began firing spells without asking questions—or using good aim.

The relatively calm atmosphere from before was shattered when red and yellow streams of light shot from the group of wizards' wands, aimed in the general direction of Sam, Danny, and Tucker. Five of the wizards formed a semi-circle around Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who tried to get around them and protest what they were doing. However, their voices were drowned out in the chaos that ensued.

The spells did little to affect Danny. In fact, they merely passed through his body, leaving behind nothing but a slight tingling sensation. The curses phased through him, hitting and ricocheting off the walls and floor. But to the half-ghost's horror, Sam and Tucker, although successful in dodging a few of the strange beams of light, were finally hit, and thrown across the room before sliding to a halt, unconscious.

"What the _hell _did you do?" Danny yelled furiously, forming two bright, glowing ecto-rays on his hands. Everyone in the room automatically took a step back, unsure of what this mysterious apparition was going to do. Gritting his teeth and aiming carefully, Danny fired off half a dozen short, consecutive shots, hitting at least five wizards' wands and destroying them, leaving behind nothing but a charred mess that the Aurors quickly threw away.

Before anyone could react, Danny had swooped through the group of wizards, grabbed Sam and Tucker, and phased through the wall, leaving behind a large number of furious, confused, and agitated wizards and witches.

* * *

_**Harry Potter and the Ghost of Amity Park**_

_**Chapter Three: Complications **_

* * *

Danny was angry when he flew out of the house, not to mention confused. Who the heck were those people in the house next door? A better question was, _what _were they? He shook it off as something to delve deeper on later. Sam and Tucker were his first priority now.

Unbeknownst to Danny, his new neighbors were asking themselves almost the same questions. The house was in a state of mass confusion, with a small battle going on between the Order and the Ministry Aurors, with Ron, Harry, and Hermione trying to be heard over the noise. Exasperated, the three students finally sat down in a corner and watched the ensuing fight—er, "lively" debate.

On one side of the violent discussion were Moody, Mr. Weasley, Lupin, Tonks, McGonagall, Richard, and a few members of the Order that Harry didn't recognize. The other side consisted of the group of Aurors from the Ministry of Magic, who seemed apoplectic to the point of bursting a blood vessel. As both sides were stubborn and obstinate, neither seemed to be giving up soon. And the subject of their quarrel? Why, the "ghost," of course.

"I'm telling you, he isn't on our side! Why would he just burst in here with some sort of Muggle weapon?" shouted an extremely beefy Ministry Auror, flecks of spit flying out of his mouth.

"Well, if you _had been listening to us for the past few minutes_," Richard growled, emphasizing his last few words, "you would've understood that, although we are suspicious of this ghost, if he is a ghost at all, we find no reason to think that he meant us any harm until _you _came along and attacked his friends. Do you ministry people ever think before you act?"

The man reddened spectacularly, resembling a ripe turnip. He spluttered for an excuse for a few minutes, before hastily half-whining, "He attacked us!"

"Only after you provoked him," Lupin pointed out calmly. "If I were him, I would be quite upset that you had attacked my friends too. Besides, I noticed that he never aimed for any of your people directly. He shot at your wand, damaging nothing but a few galleons worth of property. Wands can be replaced easily, after all, not lives, and I think he knows that."

"It could've been a fluke!" argued another Ministry wizard, grasping for excuses.

"Then that's one helluva fluke, to blast six wands away with only six shots," Moody growled, both eyes pinned on the man, who gulped nervously and avoided his gaze.

"Do we get a say in this?" Ron blurted, seemingly oblivious to his own boldness.

"What could children possibly know?" a Ministry wizard scoffed haughtily, causing Ron's face to heat up and Mr. Weasley's face to darken. Hermione stepped up angrily, and Harry could tell that this wasn't going to end well.

"Now _really_," Hermione said, scowling, "we're seventeen! And even though we still have a year of school left, I think that our opinions should have at least some influence, and how _dare _you treat Ron as if he's a childish infant? And the nerve of you, to attack the ghost like that! It was doing nothing wrong, and I tell you that he probably _saved _us from that other…Technus thing! If you must know, I'm going to find him right now, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Without another word, she whirled on her heels and stalked out, a sullen expression on her face. Glancing nervously at the silent group of adults, Ron and Harry followed her.

"Well, I couldn't have said it better," Tonks remarked blithely, as if commenting on the weather. The Order silently agreed with her.

* * *

Hermione really didn't know why the Ministry official had set her off like that. Was it because of the ghost? She _did _think that it—no, _he _had been treated unfairly. Or was it just because she didn't like the Ministry? Or maybe, could it be because the man had scorned Ron so? Perhaps.

She heard a wheezing noise, and turned around to face Ron and Harry, who were climbing up the hill to meet her.

"My God, Hermione, next time you blow up like that, give us a warning, will you?" Ron groaned, collapsing on the coarse grass. He glanced at her with a half-admiring, half-exasperated look on his face. Harry plopped down beside her, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Heheh, to tell you the truth, Hermione, I'm glad you had the nerve to put that Ministry guy in his place. I mean, it was obvious that the ghost didn't know what he dropped in on," he said reasonably. Suddenly, he frowned. "What I don't get it is…why was he solid?" Uneasy glances from both his friends told him that they were thinking the same thing.

"For a ghost, he looked a little weird," Hermione said, agreeing with him. "I mean…for one thing, he wasn't completely see-through."

"And he was dressed funny," Ron added. "I mean, what was he _wearing_?"

"A jumpsuit," Harry said absentmindedly.

"A…a what?" Ron asked, confused.

"A jumpsuit. It's something Muggles wear to protect themselves. Astronauts—they're scientists that go into outer space—wear them sometimes, and so do people who work in labs. Maybe the ghost died in a lab experiment or something."

"That still doesn't explain why he isn't translucent, and why he could touch solid things."

"Yeah…I don't get it either…" Harry's voice drifted off as something in the horizon caught his attention. "Hey, what's that?"

"What? Where?"

"Right there, in the sky—that red thing. Wait, it's gone," Harry said, disappointed. "For a second…I thought it was a person in a red suit floating around on a metal thing…must've been the light playing tricks on my eyes. Did you see it, Ron? Ron?"

Ron had drifted off to sleep lying facedown in the dirt. A trickle of drool was collecting in the grass, slowly being absorbed into the ground.

Hermione snorted. "That's Ron for you. Guess he hasn't gotten used to the time difference yet. I _told _him to let Moody do that jet-lag spell on him, but he wouldn't listen." She rolled her eyes.

"Hey, were you serious when you said you were going to go find that ghost?" Harry asked, changing the subject.

"I…I don't know," Hermione answered slowly. "I guess I was just mad, and I let the first thing that came into my mind take over. I thought it'd really spite them if I went off searching for the ghost. Now though, I don't know. I mean, the Order did all this to protect us, I don't think we should go off looking for trouble."

"Yeah," Harry agreed with her. "But they have another think coming if they've assumed that I'm just going to stay around the house all day studying. And there's still Bill and Fleur's wedding. When is it?"

"They pushed it back to Christmas, because of our relocation and everything," said Hermione. She looked at her watch, which she had bought in a small shop on their way there. "I think we should be heading back. Don't want anyone to send a search party out for us or anything."

And with that, Harry, Hermione, and a groggy, half-asleep Ron went back to the house, questions still unsolved.

* * *

Danny was frantic with worry. He had brought Sam and Tucker directly into his room, choosing to avoid awkward questions from his father. Sure, the man might've been clueless at times, but he wasn't completely oblivious or stupid enough not to notice his son dragging his two unconscious best friends up to his room without wondering that something fishy was up. Not to mention his mom was probably up from the lab already. Yup, definitely wanted to avoid awkward questions.

To tell the truth, Danny had no idea what he should do. He had a small, sneaking suspicion as to what his neighbors were: wizards. But that was absolutely absurd! Wizards weren't real, and neither was magic. Yet a part of his mind seemed to argue that, if ghosts were real, why couldn't magic be real too? And was it so far to stretch ghosts to magic and magic to wizardry and witchcraft?

Danny changed back to his human form, pacing the floor nervously. Sam and Tucker had been unconscious for fifteen minutes already. He had no idea what the wizards (that was what he would call them for now) had done to them. Had they performed a weird spell on them? Were they merely knocked out, or was this fatal? He hated the feeling of being helpless and unable to do anything but wait.

Danny stopped beside Sam, observing her face. Asleep (or unconscious, to be more specific), her expression was blank, peaceful even. He absentmindedly brushed a strand of hair out of her face, then recoiled as if burned, blushing. He was glad that Tucker wasn't awake to tease him. Danny resumed his fidgety pacing, glancing at the clock again.

Half an hour came and went, and still Tucker and Sam showed no signs of waking up. Danny was extremely agitated by now, biting his lip and fiddling with his T-shirt. He paused for a minute, gazing out the window to the house next door, and seemed to come to a decision. He picked his friends up, slung them over his shoulder, went ghost, and took off.

So the "wizards" had attacked him. But a few of them seemed okay, especially the teenagers he had met first. And that boy with the red hair…he had been something else.

"_Isn't that supposed to be a soup-holder?"_

Seriously, who asked something like that when a _ghost _flew through your roof? Danny allowed a small grin to flit across his face.

* * *

Ron, Harry, and Hermione were unpacking their trunks when the room temperature suddenly dropped slightly. Harry seemed to be the only one who noticed, since he had already changed into a T-shirt and a pair of shorts. He paused shortly, looking up.

"Er…is it just me, or is it suddenly a bit colder than before?" he asked.

"It's not just you," a voice spoke from behind him.

The wizards and witch turned their head towards the voice sharply, and Harry was sure he heard more than one neck crack. His wand was already out when the person spoke again.

"Hey, haven't you people done enough damage with that thing already?"

"Show yourself," Harry commanded, glaring at the place where he thought the invisible voice came from. Behind him, he heard Ron and Hermione draw out their wands too.

He nearly jumped two feet into the air when someone suddenly materialized in front of him, bright green eyes staring intently at him. He heard Hermione gasp sharply. It was the ghost from earlier today, and he had two people slung over his shoulder. It appeared to be the two people who had barged in during their impromptu meeting and tossed the weird thermos to the ghost. Apparently, they were still unconscious, and Hermione felt a brief stab of guilt at the ghost's worried expression.

"Look, I'm not here to fight or anything, and I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression before, okay?" the ghost said, laying his friends down, propping them up gently against the wall, and bringing his hands up to gesture that he meant no harm. "Now can you put those…uh, stick thingies away?"

Ron and Hermione lowered their wands, but Harry remained cautious. "What do you want?" he asked, not in a hostile way. He was probably intimidating a potential ally or friend, but he had learned too well that the most unexpected people could turn into the foulest of traitors.

The ghost sighed, running his hand tiredly through his hair. "Can you please undo whatever those people did to my friends?" he asked. "They weren't doing anything evil, I swear, Sam and Tucker were just trying to help me catch that other ghost."

Harry glanced at the others uneasily, but they seemed to trust this mysterious entity. Hermione stepped up, wand out.

"I'll wake them," she volunteered, walking up to the two unconscious teenagers. "_Ennervate_," she muttered, and Sam and Tucker's eyes fluttered open. Groaning, they got up, rubbing their head.

"Ugh, I feel like I got ran over by a truck," Sam grumbled, and beside her Tucker could be heard complaining about a headache.

"Thanks," Danny said gratefully.

"They would've woken up in an hour," Hermione explained matter-of-factly, "but I think it's good that you came to us for help sooner." The boys couldn't help but admire her cool, calm tone when talking to this possibly dangerous being.

Sam noticed Harry, Hermione, and Ron, and glanced at them sharply and suspiciously. "Who are you?" she demanded. "What did you do to us earlier?"

After some thought, Harry answered, "Here's a deal. If we tell you a little about who we are, you'll tell us who _you _are." Next to him, Ron and Hermione nodded in agreement. Danny hesitated before consenting, opening his mouth to speak.

"Like I said before, I'm a ghost," he said. "This is Sam and Tucker, who help me a lot. That thing you saw earlier—that was another ghost, an evil one. He could control electronic things—why they suddenly failed, I don't know. Ghosts like those escape from a portal in your next-door-neighbor's house regularly, and it's a real pain in the neck to get hunt them back down, which is what I do."

"There's a portal that _ghosts _can come out of in our neighbor's house?" Ron asked, disbelief etched on his face. "Blimey!"

"Welcome to Amity Park," Sam commented sarcastically. "Your turn."

"We…we're wizards and witches," Hermione admitted cautiously. _I was right! _Danny cheered mentally. "I'm Hermione, and that's Harry and Ron. We've come here because there's a dangerous wizard named Voldemort who's after us. He's the most feared person in the wizarding world, and he killed hundreds of people more than a decade ago. He disappeared and was revived only a couple of years ago. Those people that you met earlier…they're kind of like our security guards, and the ones who attacked you were from the Ministry of Magic. They're buffoons," she added, and Danny, Sam, and Tucker couldn't help but grin.

"The other people are from the Order of the Phoenix, a vigilante group dedicated to fighting Voldemort. They seem to think that you're not evil," Hermione told him reassuringly.

"Er…you're not evil are you?" Danny shook his head 'no.'

"One thing I don't get it…if you're a ghost, why can you touch solid things, like people?" Harry asked. Danny looked surprised.

"You mean in your world, ghosts can't touch people?" he asked curiously.

"No," Ron answered, shaking his head.

"That's weird…in our world, ghosts can be solid if they want, and they get superpowers too," said Danny. "Maybe it's like…karma or something. Wizards and witches get magic when they're alive, and when they die they're completely intangible and don't have powers. And when normal people die, they get special powers. Kinda evens it out, huh?" He looked out the window, where the sun was starting to set.

"Look, I have to leave before someone notices I've been gone this long, okay?" he asked. "See you around." He picked up his friends and was prepared to fly off.

"Wait!" Hermione called. "We never asked you what your name was."

"Oh…it's Phantom. Danny Phantom."

"Danny Phantom…it has a nice ring to it," Harry smiled. "We'll be looking out for you in the future."

With that, Danny flew off, his friends casting one last grateful glance at them for reversing the hex.

"Do you think we can trust him?" Ron asked, eyeing the part of the ceiling Danny had phased through.

"Yes," Harry answered, nodding surely. "I think we can."


	4. Chapter 4

**I am so sorry for not updating sooner! Like I said last chapter, I had a piano recital, and exams to study for (which I just found out yesterday that I aced!), and after that I had a small case of writer's block. After that I accidentally ran the trash can into the company car (don't ask…), so I wasn't allowed on the computer. Then FanFiction wouldn't let me update! Grr…However, thank you for all those awesome reviews. **

**Thanks to Mysterious Prophetess, Kingofsouls, littlekittykat, timydamonkey, SquirrelGirl13, Leppers, l&a, Anasumi, bob, Darth Frodo, The Violent Tomboy, Esme Kali Phantom, Phantom of a Rose, Lt. Commander Richie, phoenixwings07, beachbum330, Ghostboy814, Halfa-NariMaruko, charizardag, Sahxyl, Shadow49, My Eternal Façade, and Shiva the Sarcastic for reviewing! **

**Whew, this chapter was a real killer to write…half of it's sort of a filler chapter. We see some slight plot development in the last section, though…I think. **

**Please review:)

* * *

**

Look at those birds. They look so happy and cheerful, perched in the tree outside that window, grooming themselves. We should be quiet so we won't scare them awa—

"_We have to go to Muggle school!_" someone suddenly shouted furiously.

Bye-bye, birdies.

Let's look inside the window, where we will find the cause of the disturbance—namely, Ron, who was waving his arms around angrily like a windmill while his friends, Harry and Hermione, merely look slightly annoyed.

"Now, I know this comes as a slight shock…" Mr. Weasley began. "But truthfully, we hadn't noticed this slight technicality until recently."

"Until recently?" Harry asked. "You mean having us go to the Muggle school was a spur-of-the-moment thing?"

"Well…yeah," said Tonks, shrugging.

"Wait…" Hermione said thoughtfully. "Mr. Weasley, the mandatory schooling age for most states in the US is sixteen! We're seventeen, so it shouldn't matter!"

"_Most _states," said Mr. Weasley. "In other states, you are required to attend school until you are eighteen years of age. This, unfortunately, happens to be one of those states." (1)

"Couldn't we just tell the school board or whoever's in charge that we're getting tutored?" Hermione asked. "It'll get truant officers off our back, and we can deal with anyone else that's nosy enough to decide to snoop."

"We need someone with a Muggle college diploma for that, I'm afraid," said Tonks. "We don't know how to get one, and it's out of the question to put a spell on the entire school board just to get the three of you out of going to Casper High. It'll be much easier just to follow the law and lie low. We'll attract far less attention that way, and we'll be safer because of it."

"We'll get homework," said Hermione. "How are we supposed to have enough time to do it _and _learn magic?"

"We'll just make the Ministry Aurors do it," Mr. Weasley said nonchalantly. He ignored Tonks, who muttered under her breath, "About time they became useful for something."

"What about Ron and Harry?" Hermione pointed out. "Harry can't cram six years of non-magic schooling into his brain in just one summer vacation! I've read a few Muggle textbooks because my parents suggested it, so if I work hard no one will suspect anything. And then there's Ron who's never been a Muggle student…you can't expect him to learn everything about the non-magic world in less than three months!"

Tonks grinned, pulling a rather large vial of a thick, mud-like liquid out of her coat pocket. It swirled around the glass container sluggishly and looked quite unappetizing.

"I had to pull a few strings at the Ministry to get this," she said. "This is called the Potion of Knowledge. Its effects are only temporary, and it's strictly forbidden during tests and exams and whatnot. Very expensive to buy, and very time-consuming to brew. A cauldron-full costs almost as much as a Firebolt, and takes about a year to make. The potion's very tricky to cook up, and the effects last only a week."

"What does it do?" Harry asked curiously.

"It's rather obvious…drink a vial and you'll gain whatever knowledge was brewed into the potion," Mr. Weasley explained. "Don't ask me how the process occurs, I'm no masters at potions. It's a complicated recipe, and the results are rarely ever worth the effort…really, a year of labor and only a limited amount of knowledge for just a week!

"But it's perfect for our current predicament. A vial a week, and the Muggles will never notice that Ron and Harry aren't one of them," Mr. Weasley finished. Ron gazed at the beaker suspiciously.

"Er…what does it taste like?" he asked, dabbing his finger into the murky brown liquid and tasting a drop tentatively. "Bleargh…it's like mud!" he howled. "Are we supposed to _drink _that?"

"Pretend it's yogurt," Hermione suggested.

"…You're joking, right?"

* * *

_**Harry Potter and the Ghost of Amity Park**_

_**Chapter Four: A Touch of Magic**_

* * *

And that was why Ron, Hermione, and Harry found themselves outside Casper High on September 5th, fighting their way through the crowd of students milling around on the school lawn. 

"Hey, watch where you're going!" a tall, bulky boy shouted over his shoulder threateningly when Ron ran into him. Ron opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by Hermione.

"Don't attract attention," she hissed. "Let's just get over to the office to get our schedules. Look, there it is."

Stepping into the office, they were shocked to see—

"Professor McGonagall?" Harry, Hermione, and Ron chorused, disbelief etched on their faces as they saw their Transformation teacher sitting behind a desk reading a letter that was spewing out of the fax machine. She glanced at them sharply, motioning for them to talk softer.

"That's _Ms. _McGonagall now," she said.

"W-What are you doing here?" Hermione asked.

"We obviously couldn't leave you here without protection," said Prof—er, Ms. McGonagall. "So I sent in an application to be in the secretary for Casper High. You'll also find that Kingsley Shacklebolt will be your history teacher, and a few members of the Order have taken some potions to disguise themselves as teenagers."

"They won't be following us around all day, will they?" Harry asked.

"Not noticeably," McGonagall answered vaguely, turning around to straighten a stack of papers. She handed them their schedules. "Run along now, you three. Don't be late for your first lesson; this school is a virtual maze during the mad morning rush."

McGonagall had never spoken truer words, for as soon as Harry, Hermione, and Ron stepped outside the office, they were swept away in the crowd. Apparently, the beginning of the school year was a time of chaos, the day students made up for lost time misbehaving at school. The trio fought their way through the throng of people, discreetly elbowing and shoving their way through.

They barely made it to class in time. The bell rang just as they rushed into the classroom and, as all the good seats were taken, plopped into three seats in the back corner of the room. They glanced around the classroom curiously. The teacher, a bald, overweight man, was filling out the absentee form, ignoring the pandemonium that was mainly caused by a muscular blonde who was throwing a football to his friend, an Asian teen in a letterman jacket.

"Hey, Kwan, seen Fenton around anywhere?" the first boy asked his friend. "I haven't beaten him up the whole summer." He cracked his knuckles threateningly.

"No…he's probably late again. Maybe you should ask his loser friends," Kwan answered.

Harry felt someone elbow him sharply in the ribs. He turned around scowling, only to see Ron pointing to the other side of the classroom.

"Hey, isn't that Sam and Tucker?" he asked, surprised. Harry and Hermione turned to where he was pointing.

"Well…I guess we should've expected this," said Hermione. "I mean, they're around our age, so of course they're still in school. I hope they won't blurt out our secret or anything."

"We couldn't let the Ministry do a memory charm on them because Phantom would get mad," Harry reminded her. "Besides, it'd probably cause more problems because Danny Phantom would remember everything and remind them anyway, so—"

"You know Danny Phantom?" an eager, accented voice came from behind the three teenagers, making them jump nervously. "Oh! Did you talk to him? Did he mention _me_?" They turned around to see a Latino girl who was staring at them hungrily. "Isn't he _hot_? I'm Paulina by the way. Phantom and I go way back," she bragged.

Smiling flirtatiously at Harry and Ron (and completely giving Hermione the cold shoulder), she simpered, "Bye, boys. See you around."

The three blinked, confused, as they stared at her retreating figure. "Well…I think I just got snubbed," Hermione remarked.

"You should watch out for Paulina," a voice advised from behind them. "She'll sweet talk anyone when they have something she wants, and then completely snob them when she's no longer interested." The three turned around to see a pair of familiar faces.

"Sam and Tucker!" Hermione exclaimed. "I haven't seen you in a really long time."

Lowering his voice, Harry said, "About that thing where the Ministry attacked you and all that…sorry, you know, we didn't really—"

"That's okay," said Tucker, cutting him off. "You already said it wasn't your fault. Besides, we're not dead yet, so—"

"Class, please be seated," the teacher called out as the tardy bell rang and the students scrambled for their seats. "For those of you who are new, I am Mr. Lancer. I'd like to introduce our new students this year, Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger. They have come from Britain and are staying for a year. I trust you'll make their visit a pleasant experience."

Mr. Lancer glanced at an empty seat in the back of the classroom between Tucker and Sam and sighed. "Is Danny late again?" he asked monotonously. Apparently, this didn't seem to be uncommon situation.

"Uh…think so, Mr. Lancer," Sam said. "His dad blew something up in the lab. Danny got stuck with clean-up duty."

The teacher sighed. "Tardy on the first day of school…not a good start to the school year." Behind his back, Sam and Tucker scowled darkly, the latter muttering something about an "ungrateful, out of shape teacher."

Just the door burst open, slamming against the wall loudly. A boy with black hair raced in, panting.

"Sorry Mr. Lancer," he gasped. "My sister's car broke down and—"

"I thought your father was making you clean the lab," Mr. Lancer said, raising his eyebrow.

"Uh…yeah, that too…" he said, trailing off uncertainly.

"Go to your seat, Danny," Mr. Lancer sighed. "As it is the first day of school, I'll be lenient—be warned that next time, you will be assigned detention.." Danny sighed and slumped in his seat, glaring darkly at the back of Mr. Lancer's bald head.

Harry felt another nudge, and he turned around to face Hermione.

"That Danny kid looks familiar," she whispered to him. Harry glanced at the boy, surveying him carefully. Come to think of it, he felt like he _had _seen him before somewhere. Problem was, he just didn't seem to be able to remember where. Had he seen him in a crowd somewhere? Highly unlikely…faces were hard to remember when they were mixed with a throng of people. Maybe he had spoken to him before? No, he would've remembered that clearly.

"Psst, Ron," Harry whispered. "Ron…Ron!" Hermione rolled her eyes when all of Harry's attempts to get Ron's attention were futile, then picked up her eraser and tossed it at the back of Ron's head. He jumped and nearly fell out of his seat.

"Blimey, what was that for?" he complained, rubbing the back of his head. "I hope that's not going to leave a mark. Who taught you how to throw, Hermione?"

"Look at that boy that just came in," she said, ignoring Ron's remarks. "Doesn't he look familiar?" Ron glanced at him.

"Ah…no," he said. Shrugging, he added, "Maybe he's just someone from the Order that took one of those de-aging potions so they could guard us or something."

"Couldn't be…he's friends with Tucker and Sam," said Harry, tilting his head towards the three, who were talking in whispers with their heads bent together conspiratorially.

"Hmm…" Hermione muttered to herself. "There's something weird about those three."

"Of course there is, two of them hang out with ghosts," Ron said. "And—"

"Ron, Harry, and Hermione, is there something you wish to share with the class?" Mr. Lancer asked, frowning at the three.

"Um…no, sir…"

"Then I suggest you be quiet. Now, who can tell me how adverbs can be used…"

The three Hogwarts students slumped down in their seats. This was the beginning of a long school year.

* * *

Three and a half hours later, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were standing in the middle of the cafeteria, looking for a place to sit. Hermione was staring apprehensively at her food and poking it tentatively with her fork. 

"Are we actually supposed to eat this slop?" she asked, sniffing the green, gooey glob of Meatloaf Surprise cautiously. "It looks a little…inedible. And green. Meatloaf usually isn't supposed to be green."

"I think I liked the food at Hogwarts a lot better," said Ron, looking nauseated. "And we still can't find any seats. Muggle school sucks so far."

"Maybe we can go sit with Tucker, Sam, and that Danny guy over there," Harry pointed out. "And if they won't let us we could always go sit with them." He motioned toward a table at the left. "I think two of those kids over there kind of resemble Lupin and Tonks, and the guy beside him has eyes that don't match. It's probably Moody."

With that, Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked over to Danny's table.

"Hi…um, everywhere else is full. Can we sit here?" Ron asked (with a feeling of déjà vu—he had asked Harry nearly the same thing on the Hogwarts Express during their first year).

The three glanced at each other before shrugging. "Why not?" said Sam. "Suit yourself."

Everyone plopped down in their seats, and Ron, Harry, and Hermione began nudging their food, none of them daring to actually put it in their mouth and taste it.

"First time with school cafeteria food?" Danny asked sympathetically. "Eat the fruit cup but leave the green meatloaf crap alone," he advised. "Oh, I'm Danny by the way."

"Hi Danny, I'm Hermione, and that's Harry and Ron," said Hermione, deciding to introduce everyone.

"Hi," said Danny. "Tucker and Sam told me about you." Lowering his voice he added, "Wizards and witches, huh? You'll fit in Amity Park fine."

Hermione nearly sprayed her mouthful of water out all over the table. "You _told _him?" she asked Tucker and Sam. "Why did you tell him? We should probably do memory charms on all three of you now! Who knows how far this secret could spread?"

"Hey, relax," Sam said, crossing her arms. "Danny's not gonna tell anyone, are you, Danny?"

"Of course not," he agreed. "I'm a lot better at keeping secrets than you think." He stuffed a mouthful of French fries into his mouth before suddenly gasping. A half-chewed fry was forced down his throat and he began choking.

"I'll be right back!" he said through his coughs, then stood up and ran out of the cafeteria.

"What's up with him?" Ron asked, swallowing his food and glancing at Danny, who had sprinted out the door. He missed the nervous look that Tucker and Sam exchanged.

"Um, actually, we should be leaving too…" Tucker said uneasily. "Lunch is almost over anyway, and—"

Someone in the cafeteria suddenly let out an ear-piercing scream. It was followed by a dozen others, and one of the lunch ladies ran out from the kitchen. Another plump old lady came out hot on her heels, holding a drumstick. She seemed pretty normal…except for the fact that she was floating a foot high in the air and that a trail of meat hovered behind her, winding through the cafeteria and into the storage room. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw at least half of the students in the room jump up apprehensively. In the commotion, no one noticed Tucker and Sam rush out the cafeteria, going the way Danny had gone.

The old lady (was she a ghost?) floated up to Dash. "Would you like some beef, dear?" she asked sweetly. Caught off-guard by her pleasant behavior, Dash shook his head 'no,' confused.

"_Then dine on my fury!_" she screeched, hair flaming out of its net as various forms of meat swirled around her, creating a mini-tornado. Dash gulped and stumbled backwards, whimpering unintelligibly and stuttering up a storm.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione were at a loss to what they should do. Should they risk exposing themselves and attack this thing with magic? And what if their suspicions were right, and it was a ghost? Magic probably wouldn't affect it. They saw "Moody," "Tonks," and "Lupin" reach uncertainly up to their sleeves, and Harry caught sight of wands. So he was right—those _were _the guards that McGonagall had mentioned, the ones who drank the de-aging potion. And they seemed to be on the brink of blowing their cover to attack this…thing.

"You know, the bingo hall is still in need of a few more players," a familiar voice called from the ceiling. Looking up, Harry was relieved to see Phantom's face poking through the roof. He could tell that Tonks and the rest of the group were too. In fact, some of the students had even stopped screaming. True, it was because the cafeteria was nearly deserted already, but everyone seemed to have stopped panicking and was…cheering Phantom on? That was a little weird—shouldn't they be scared?

The ghost answered by hurling a large shower of meat his way, snarling viciously. Danny Phantom dodged a frozen chicken that was sent flying with enough force to knock his head off, blasted three steaks nonchalantly out of his way, and swooped between a string of sausages, neatly avoiding becoming entangled in the meat.

"You children are _still _skin and bones!" the angry ghost howled, veins sticking out of her neck in her anger. "And that is why you must all eat today's Meatloaf Surprise! IT'S GOOD FOR YOU!"

"Surprise!" Phantom said cheerfully, suddenly drawing a thermos out from behind his back and aiming it at the Lunch Lady. With a high-pitched whine, a blue beam of light shot out, surrounding the bipolar lunch lady ghost and sucking her into the containment device. He glanced around at the now messy cafeteria, chuckled sheepishly, then disappeared from sight.

"Wait! Danny Phantom, come back!" Paulina called, running up waving her arms desperately. "Darn it, I missed him again!" she wailed.

"Well…that was…strange," said Harry. He went up to Tucker and Sam, who had returned to their table. "Do things like these happen all the time here?"

"Like I said before, welcome to Amity Park," Sam droned. She suddenly started as if something had surprised her and glanced under the table. To Harry, Ron, and Hermione's surprise, Danny was emerging from it, looking slightly disheveled.

"You were under the table?" Ron asked. "But you…didn't you just go…what the…I'm confused," he finished, scratching his head.

"Oh? Uh…you must not have noticed me hiding under the table from the Lunch Lady," Danny answered nervously. Harry and Ron seemed to accept his answer and followed him and his friends out the door. Hermione trailed behind them, staring thoughtfully at Danny's face.

She was beginning to feel the gears of _something _turning in her brain…

* * *

**(1) Honestly, I have no idea which state's mandatory schooling age is 18…so I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that it's not a random state out in the middle of nowhere, since I know Amity Park is located in either the Chicago area, or California. **


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm so sorry about the late chapter! I suddenly became obsessed with Naruto. And on a further unrelated note, Kakashi is SEXY. **

**I also had a writer's block. Not from this chapter, but from the chapter after this one, because I had no idea what to write. But I know now, so no worries!**

**Thanks to danni phantom, coolgirlc, EverD, Kammy, Shewhodanceswithdragons, BabiGirlBri16, Sirithiliel, blackgem99, Witch4ever, Goldenluv28, Darth Frodo, Leppers, dAnnYsGiRl777, -XSasukeUchihaX- (Naruto fans unite!), Lynx Silverhawk, SquirrelGirl13, Engelbird, hetfan7708, Allie Phantom, Mysterious Prophetess, The Violent Tomboy, Eto, TV girl, -the-gem-of-Azar, Lt. Commander Richie, Phantom of a Rose, My Eternal Façade, KingofSouls, Shiva the Sarcastic, hammy ham ham, and timydamonkey for reviewing! You guys are so awesome, I'm amazed by all the reviews I got.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter.

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**

"That was amazing!" Ron said to Harry as he helped Hermione unpack the box of beakers and test tubes. Fifth period, science class, was right after lunch, and today they were doing a few experiments with chemicals. Ron, Harry, and Hermione were trying to set up the complicated chemistry set, then follow the instructions that had been written on the board. All in all, it was kind of like Potions class at Hogwarts. "I mean, it was pretty cool to see Phantom beat up that other ghost. Hey, hand me that Bunsen burner, will ya?"

"What I was wondering about was why Phantom was at school," said Hermione, putting on a pair of goggles. "And how does he know when a ghost is there? Kind of a strange coincidence, if you ask me." She flinched as a tinkering and crashing sound came from a box Harry had just dropped and, when no one was looking, pulled out her wand and whispered, "_Reparo._"

"Hey, be careful, Hermione," Harry warned. "We don't want anyone seeing us do magic. Danny, Sam, and Tucker already know, and that's three people too many." He squinted at the label on one of the beakers, confused. "What the heck is this?"

"Harry, put that down, we don't need that yet," said Hermione, exasperated. "Anyway, I was wondering why there were so many ghosts in this town. I mean, ghosts usually don't come in contact with Muggles."

"Maybe we should ask around," Harry suggested. He took the plastic dropper and dipped it in a clear liquid, filling it up. Handing it to Ron, he added, "A lot of the people were screaming and stuff in the cafeteria, but I have a feeling that they've seen ghost attacks and things like that happen before."

"But it's still a good thing that Phantom came and captured the ghost," said Ron. He accidentally knocked over a test tube, spilling a dark green liquid across the countertop. "Oops."

"Really, Ron, watch where you're waving your arms," Hermione berated. "I don't know, maybe there are some ghost experts around here or something…"

"Or maybe we can ask Sam and Tucker," Harry said. "They're close with Phantom, right? They should know about the ghosts around here."

"Yeah…hey, maybe we can ask Danny too," said Ron, absentmindedly mixing the chemicals in two vials together. "If he's good friends with Sam and Tucker, chances are he'll know Phantom too. Then—"

"Ron, I don't think you were supposed to mix those two liquids together…" Harry said nervously, staring at the beaker in Ron's hands, which was bubbling furiously.

"What?"

BOOM!

* * *

_**Harry Potter and the Ghost of Amity Park**_

_**Chapter Five: Premonitions**_

**Harry: (Opens a copy of _Dream Oracle_) Think of a dream, quick, in case the old toad comes our way.  
****Ron: I did it last time, it's your turn, you tell me one.  
****Harry: Oh, I dunno. Let's say I dreamed I was…drowning Snape in my cauldron. Yeah, that'll do.

* * *

**

"Why is it that whenever one of us messes up, all of us get in trouble because of it?" Hermione asked miserably, slouching down in her desk. "And Ron, _how _did you manage to make that beaker blow up like that? Those chemicals weren't even supposed to be dangerous!"

Ron rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Uh…talent?"

"Look on the bright side—at least this is only Muggle detention," Harry said, looking around at the mountain of boxes. "We don't have to clean out jars that have pickled brains in them, or something nasty like that. All we have to do is move these boxes out of the storage with the other people in detention. What could possibly happen?"

Cue karma's doorbell. Ding dong, it's for you, Harry!

"I AM THE BOX GHOST!"

"You just had to tempt fate, didn't you?" Ron sighed, glaring at Harry, who had a suspicion that somewhere, someone was laughing evilly at him. Everyone looked around nervously to see where the voice had come from.

"_Fear me!_" the voice came again. A short, plump man in blue overalls floated through the wall, waving his arms in the air crazily. "Cower before the might of my boxes, for they shall bring your doooooom!"

Several people screamed girlishly and ran out of the room, the teacher among them. Weird thing was, the teacher was a guy. Wow, a male that can hit a high C with such talent…you don't see guys like that walking around these days.

"He doesn't seem very threatening," Ron whispered to Hermione. "Come on, the Box Ghost?"

"Well in case you haven't noticed, we're surrounded by _boxes_, Ron," Hermione hissed.

"Oh…that's…not good."

"Where are the Aurors when you need them?" Harry asked, annoyed. He ducked as the Box Ghost hurled a crate at his head, letting it smash against the wall. Something broke. It sounded expensive.

Harry drew his wand, noticing that Ron and Hermione did the same. Together, they began blasting the boxes, hoping they wouldn't be caught using magic by any Muggles.

"Your attempts are fu-tile!" the Box Ghost yelled dramatically, dragging the last word out to emphasize the effect. "My cubical cardboard squares shall defeat your useless wooden sticks!"

"They're called wands!" Ron yelled. "And—oh, no…" A particularly well-aimed box had hit his hand, sending his wand flying. He scrambled to retrieve it, but the Box Ghost stopped him by flinging a wooden crate in his way, nearly flattening his hand.

"Hey, watch where you're throwing that thing!" Ron shouted.

"Uh…beware!" the ghost yelled back lamely. He lifted his arms, several boxes floating around him. They attached themselves to his body, turning him into a huge box monster.

"Dude, you have totally been hanging out with the Lunch Lady," a figure called from the door. Harry quickly stuffed his wand back in his jeans, but relaxed when he saw that it was Danny.

"Er, Danny, you might want to run…" he advised, glancing at the box monster.

"Pass," Danny grinned. "It's just the Box Ghost. He's pretty weak." Harry's eyes widened in surprise when the other boy took a round container out of his backpack.

"Hey…that's a Fenton Thermos," he said. "That thing can trap ghosts!"

"Yeah," Danny nodded, resisting the urge to say "duh." He uncapped the thermos and aimed it at the Box Ghost. In a beam of blue light he was pulled into the container, uttering a final "Beware!"

"Wow…" Hermione breathed, relieved. "Thanks, Danny."

"No problem," he said. "That was the Box Ghost. He's pretty weak, but I think he's been hanging around the Lunch Lady ghost, since she usually does the same thing he did with those boxes, only with meat." Under his breath, he muttered, "Some thing will never change…"

"Weak or not, we still couldn't beat him," Harry said worriedly. He looked at the thermos thoughtfully. "Say, can we have a few of those? You know, as a 'just in case' thing? We can pay you and—"

"Pay me for a few Fenton Thermoses?" Danny asked incredulously. "Nah, you don't have to pay me, we've got tons of them at my house. My parents invented them, after all."

"Your parents are inventors?" Hermione asked.

"It's a side job, I guess," said Danny. "They're actually ghost hunters. People laughed them off as nut-jobs, but after the first ghost invasion they started to get taken seriously. Now they get called on whenever there's a ghost emergency. Well, my mom more than my dad …"

"Ghost invasion?" Hermione asked. "A lot of weird things happen in this town, don't they?"

"'Weird' doesn't even begin to describe it," said Danny, rolling his eyes. "First there was the time everyone got overshadowed, then there was Ember, and after that Pariah Dark…"

"Ember? Pariah Dark?" Hermione repeated, starting to feel like a parrot. "Wow, can you tell us about them?"

"Eh…that'll take a while," said Danny. Noticing the looks of disappointment on their faces, he added, "Um, how about you just skip detention and come with me? I live at Fenton Works. You can't miss it, it's the only building with a million satellites and machines sticking out on the roof, not to mention it's right beside your house. I can tell you about the ghosts, and you can tell me more about why you're here. Sam and Tucker didn't really give me details."

"And can we look at your parents' ghost stuff?" Ron asked excitedly. "That thermos thing is cool! I bet they have a lot of other awesome stuff."

"Yeah, they do. There's the Fenton Bazooka, the Jack-O-Nine-Tails, the Ghost Gabber…" Danny began, counting each invention off on his fingers. "But that's pretty useless, because most ghosts speak English anyway, and the Gabber always tacks a 'fear me' at the end…"

"Actually…sorry Danny, but we can't come over," Hermione said apologetically. "Ron, Harry, we have lessons after school everyday, remember?"

Ron groaned as Danny looked at the three with a mild look of horror on his face.

"Are you okay, Danny? You look kinda constipated…" Ron began.

"You have lessons after school?" Danny interrupted. "Man, that's like having school 24/7! That's gotta suck."

"On the bright side other people do our homework for us because we have to have enough time for lessons in magic," said Harry. "Besides, there's not much else to do in this town, so we're not really missing out on much, especially if we're only staying for a year."

"You're only staying for a year?" Danny asked. "Well, anyway, how about you come over for dinner or something? My sister's cooking, so we might have something decent to eat today. After that you might be able to hang around for a few minutes." Their faces lit up as they agreed, and the four walked out the door talking, detention forgotten.

* * *

"—and that's why we don't let Mom and Dad cook anymore," Jazz finished, the sadistic part of her enjoying the half-amazed and half-horrified looks on Harry and Hermione's faces. Tucker and Sam, who always came over for dinner at least once a week, snickered behind their plates of food. Ron just smirked. Living in the Weasley household with Fred and George's weird candy inventions, he had much stranger encounters with food that wasn't supposed to come alive.

Harry, on the other hand, was suddenly grateful of Aunt Petunia's non-evil hot dogs.

"Hey, that is so not funny," Danny complained. "I mean, normal kids worry about the boogieman, monsters in the closet, ghouls under the bed…I have to worry about headless mutant turkeys jumping out of the oven on Thanksgiving and chasing me up a tree."

"I remember that," Sam said nostalgically, eyes glazing over as she recalled the incident. "In the end Tucker ate the turkey—" At this she shuddered repulsively. "—but when you were climbing out of the tree you slipped and fell and broke your wrist. Klutz," she laughed, getting up and taking her plate to the sink.

"Say, didn't you kids come to see our inventions?" Jack suddenly asked excitedly. "Wait until you see all the cool stuff we have in our basement!"

_Oh no, he's waiting to blabber on about ghosts, _Jazz and Danny thought to themselves simultaneously.

"Uh, I gotta go," Jazz said quickly. "You kids have fun." If Danny didn't know any better, he could've sworn he heard thunder and evil laughter emanating from his sister. But we all know better, right?

Right.

Jack practically skipped down the stairs to the lab, motioning for Harry, Ron, and Hermione to follow him. For a lack of better things to do, Sam, Tucker, and Danny trailed behind them, unwilling to miss out on the others' torture through boredom. I mean, the exciting lecture that awaited them! Yeah!

Half an hour later, Ron couldn't have been more bored. Judging from the glazed expression on Harry's face, it was a safe bet that, short of a rampaging gorilla, his best friend couldn't be roused from his reverie, either. Hermione, on the other hand, was paying rapt attention to Jack and seemed to be memorizing his every word.

"—and this here is the Fenton Boooomerang!" said Jack, picking another invention up from the cluttered lab desk. "It's supposed to key in on a ghost's unique ectoplasmic signature and track'em down! There's still some bugs to work out, though. For some reason it keeps going after Danny…"

Ron's eyes strayed to another corner of the lab, where something immediately caught his attention. Something big, round, metallic, and shiny, curved over one side of the lab. This metal arch seemed much more fascinating than the other inventions Jack was talking about.

"What's that?" he blurted out, pointing at it. "That…metal arch."

"It looks like a portal or something," said Harry, turning around to look at what had caught Ron's attention.

Jack became even more excited, if possible. "That's the Fenton Portal!" he exclaimed happily. "It's one of our greatest inventions! The portal creates a direct link from our world to the Ghost Zone, the place where spirits reside."

Hermione's eyes widened. "This is an amazing piece of technology," she breathed. "No doubt you spent years on it…"

"You betcha we did," said Jack. "Through trial and error…you won't believe some of the mistakes we made with a prototype portal back in my college days." Tucker snickered, probably at some inside joke with his friends, and tried to cover it up with a cough. For some reason, Harry heard Sam mutter something that sounded like "ecto-acne." Thinking he misheard, he shook it off and went to examine the Fenton Portal.

It really was an amazing invention. Harry wasn't into technology much, but even he could tell that this was an advanced piece of machinery. At the moment the portal was closed by a thick set of steel doors. It was lined by a metallic frame, with a small box to the right. On it were many buttons and what seemed to be a filter half-filled with…was that green goo?

"At first the portal didn't work," said Jack. "You can imagine how disappointed Maddie and I were. But then Danny did something with it, and nearly elec—"

_Clang!_

Everyone's heads turned when they heard the loud noise. They saw Danny sheepishly picking up a huge gun that was about the size of an eleven-year-old child, and set it back on the table.

"Sorry," he said. "My, uh, hand. Yeah, um, it…slipped." For some reason, he looked particularly jumpy at the moment. Jack began to berate Danny for being careless with one of his favorite inventions.

Hermione just stared at the portal thoughtfully.

"I think we should get going," Harry said abruptly as he glanced at the clock in the lab, interrupting Hermione's musings. "We were supposed to be back five minutes ago."

"Great, Mum's going to think we got into trouble or something," Ron groaned. Waving good-bye at the three teenagers who hurried out of his house with a quick "see ya," Danny was unaware that, deep in the Ghost Zone, a pair of red eyes were observing him through a portal.

"It seems that once again, those two insist on tempting fate," Clockwork murmured, sighing. "Although, for once, it's really not their fault. But, as they have already encountered each other and set up a bond, nothing can change the future, for better or for worse."

The pictures in Clockwork's portal swirled and merged together. A few moments later, they focused again into pictures that flashed by at dizzying speeds.

A red-clad girl on a jet-sled, a tall group of people wearing dark hoods, a black-and-silver flash too quick to make out…

…and a heavy golden locket, its chain curled around a pale, slender hand…


	6. Chapter 6

**Um…hi, everyone. (Laughs nervously) So it's been what…a month or so since my last update? (Sweatdrop) I'm really, really sorry! I know I say that a lot, but believe me, this chapter was so hard to write, and I had to revise it so many times, not to mention bug my beta-reader over and over again to help me. I _still _think the last part is OOC. Plus, I've been extremely busy with school lately—I joined three clubs and the teachers are strict this year, and I already have four projects to do (falls over dead). But trust me, the next chapter will come a lot faster, I promise, because by then I actually know what'll happen and the story pace picks up. **

**Thanks to -XSasukeUchihaX-, SquirrelGirl13, Dragon Alchemist, Fk306 animelover, Quacked Lurker, lil' munkies, Crazy About Purple, chaz, Darth Frodo, Mysterious Prophetess, WhiteRat63, Samantha Seldowitz, Shark Repellent, Goldenluv28, Phantom of a Rose, KeybladeWizard, BugzAttack, EverD, dAnnYsGiRL777, Sirithiliel, hetfan7708, timydamonkey, Witch4ever, chaotic.calm, and shewhodanceswithdragons for reviewing, and SolaCatella for beta-ing. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter…but eventually, they _will _be mine, because I'm saving up. So far, I have seven dollars and eighty-nine cents. Also, the information about the Petrified Forest National Park was borrowed from Wikipedia, which I do not own. **

**In this chapter, part of the plot is revealed. Enjoy, and please review! ;)**

**

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**

If someone had told Danny a few months ago that he would have a house-full of wizards and witches as neighbors, he would've stared at that person strangely and asked them if they had a temperature. Now, though, he walked with Harry, Hermione, and Ron to school almost every morning (excluding the days when he overslept or had ghost issues to deal with). In the beginning, he had been absolutely amazed about finding out about a whole new world, but a few weeks later the astonishment had diminished to a nagging curiosity. He, Sam, and Tucker were still extremely inquisitive, though, and most mornings were spent swapping stories about ghosts and magic with Harry and his friends.

Although he had a bond with the three Hogwarts students, Danny wasn't even close to considering telling them his secret. Yes, they did seem decent, and he was sure that they wouldn't have revealed his half-ghost status to anyone else, but he had barely even known them for a month. Besides, it wasn't like they _needed _to know that he was half-ghost. And even though he had found out about their magic, he didn't feel like he owed them _his _secret, because he hadn't purposely pried into their business and started nosing around.

But the witch, Hermione…he felt uneasy around her. First, there was the way she looked at him. There was a strange light in her eyes that seemed to glimmer at him suspiciously, as if saying tauntingly, "I know you're hiding something, and it's only a matter of time until I find out." Second, she seemed to be a natural know-it-all. Not only was she smart, but she was logical as well, and Danny found himself floundering to keep his secret under wraps quite a few times.

Take last night in the lab, for example. He had a sneaking suspicion that Hermione was starting to suspect that there was something weird about him, and he had started panicking when his dad started talking about the portal. Telling her about the accident would give her a huge clue about his secret, and Danny wasn't going to risk her finding out. So he dropped the Fenton Bazooka, successfully diverting their attention.

"Mr. Fenton, please stop staring out the window. This material will be covered on the test this Friday."

Danny sighed, forcing himself to draw his attention back to class. Mr. Lancer could be a decent person sometimes, but his lectures were really boring.

* * *

_**Harry Potter and the Ghost of Amity Park**_

_**Chapter Six: The Blair Witch Coincidence**_

"**You cry, I cry. You laugh, I laugh. You fall out of a window…I laugh." –Anonymous**

**  
**

**

* * *

**

Harry heard someone sigh loudly in the back of the classroom. He couldn't blame them, really…Mr. Lancer was incredibly dull.

"Mr. Fenton, please stop staring out the window. This material will be covered on the test this Friday."

Harry couldn't blame Danny for zoning out, either. Mr. Lancer, like Professor Binns, had the power to turn almost anything exciting into a long, monotonous speech. Maybe, if he put his book up, then ducked down a little, he could put his head on his arms and get some slee—

"Mr. Potter!"

Harry quickly jerked up, accidentally toppling his book over. "Er, Mr. Lancer, I was just—you know—I mean…"

Mr. Lancer looked at his student strangely. "Harry, I was wondering if you could hand out these permission slips and information packets for our field trip next week."

"Oh…right." Feeling extremely stupid, Harry got up to the front of the classroom and picked up a small stack of pamphlets. As he was handing them out, he glanced at the cover. There was a very beautiful picture of a desert, with another enlarged photograph in the top left corner of a strangely colored log. At the bottom of the page, "Petrified Forest National Park" was written in large, boldfaced letters.

"As you know, students in their junior year have the opportunity to travel to the Petrified Forest in Arizona with their class," said Mr. Lancer. Harry sat down holding his own pamphlet, vaguely interested. The Dursleys had never taken him with them during their vacations, and this national park sounded interesting.

Turning slightly, he noticed that Hermione was also combing through her information packet with an interested look on her face. Ron, on the other hand, couldn't have looked more bored.

"As our time is limited and permits are difficult to obtain," Mr. Lancer continued, "we will not be visiting the Painted Desert." A few disappointed groans could be heard around the room. "However, I can promise you that you will find the Petrified Forest very…'hip' and 'groovy.'"

The room flinched in unison at Mr. Lancer's attempt to sound cool. He hadn't completely given up the desire to learn modern slang. However, the book he was learning from was slightly…outdated.

"Look over the pamphlets a bit, and if you're interested, have your guardian sign this permission form and return it by the end of the week," said Mr. Lancer, handing out a form. Harry felt his stomach sink. There was no way the Order or the Ministry would let him, Hermione, and Ron go to Arizona with the rest of his classmates. It would be harder to guard them there.

_And besides, _Harry thought guiltily, _I need to focus on schoolwork. _

Glancing at the pamphlet longingly, he flipped it open to a page titled "The Mystery of Agate House" and began to skim through the short paragraph.

"_The Agate House is a partial reconstruction of an Indian pueblo house made of petrified wood and mud mortar, and has been deserted for years. A thorough examination of the premises reveals that the house was occupied only briefly by its previous owner, a female witch-doctor by the name of Rainbird Anaba Blair, daughter of a local Indian woman (name unknown) and a young cattle-rancher, Richard Blair. However, twenty-five years ago, Blair suddenly and mysteriously vanished, with no clues leading to her whereabouts. A half-packed satchel was discovered, hinting that Rainbird was most likely in the process of moving out. The only other artifacts left behind included several beautifully crafted clay pots, a golden locket, and—"_

Wait a minute…

"_Witch-doctor…"_

"_Vanished mysteriously twenty-five years ago…"_

"_Rainbird Anaba Blair…"_

"_A golden locket…"_

Harry sat back in his chair, stunned, and stared at the pamphlet. He couldn't believe what he had just read, and a hunch was quickly forming. This had to be the beginning of something big—he could feel the crackles of excitement jolting down his spine.

This was the start of another adventure.

* * *

"Harry, are you okay? You look ill."

Harry glanced up at Hermione, who was looking at him worriedly.

"Yeah, you do look a bit pale," said Ron.

Harry waved his hand carelessly, pulling them into a corner where they had a less likely chance of being overheard. The class was working on a group project, and most of the people were talking loudly about everything _except _for the assignment. Mr. Lancer was all the way on the other side of the room, so it wasn't likely that people would accidentally overhear, interrupt, or eavesdrop on their conversation.

Harry thrust the tourist guide into Ron's hands.

"Look—right there—the part about Agate House…" Harry prodded the short paragraph and waited impatiently as Ron skimmed through it, Hermione reading over his shoulder.

"I don't get it…why'd you want us to read it?" Ron asked, frowning. Hermione snatched the paper out of his hands, rolling her eyes.

"Don't you get it, Ron?" she asked. "Read it carefully. The woman was a witch doctor, maybe even a witch…she disappeared more than twenty years ago, and her name. Her_ initials, _Ron. They're—"

"R.A.B.," Ron finished, a look of dawning comprehension on his face. "And…and they said they found locket in the house!"

"Everything fits," Harry said hurriedly. "She's got to be the person who stole the Horcrux at the cave. And…maybe, the potion at the cave finished her off eventually, or maybe Voldemort found out and went after her. She probably knew it was only a matter of time before Death Eaters started tracking her down, too, since it looked like she was about to make a run for it…"

"So it's decided," Hermione said firmly. "We've got to go to Arizona with the rest of the class, this may be our _only_ chance of finding a Horcrux, and it's the only lead we've got. We—"

"Oh, yeah, and what are we going to tell the Order and the Ministry?" Ron asked sarcastically. "'Well, we want to go on this school trip to a national park in the middle of nowhere where we might get killed because security isn't going to be as tight. All you need to do is sign our permission slip.' Come off it, Hermione, short of an Imperius Curse, we might as well scrap any idea of going."

"Stop being so negative, Ron," said Harry, frowning. Deep down, he knew Ron was right, and his brain began churning for a plan, anything that could get them out of this dilemma…

"Well, I'm just saying—"

"I think…" Hermione said slowly, "I have a plan." Motioning the others towards her, she began whispering conspiratorially.

* * *

That night, Hermione could be found locked in her room, leaning over a small slip of paper. She had a pen in her hand, and, on a line above the words "Parent/Guardian Signature," she was carefully signing a name in a large, loopy handwriting that was not her own.

Meanwhile, Harry and Ron were downstairs, each in separate rooms. Ron found his "target" first.

"Hey, Tonks, what's that?" he asked, attempting to sound nonchalant. The pink-haired woman looked up from her sheet of parchment.

"Oh, some boring Ministry stuff," she said, frowning at her paperwork distastefully. "It's quite dull…we have to report to the Minister every week, give detailed mission reports and all that. I just can't figure out what to write…nothing exciting ever happens in this town."

"Yeah, well, I think this place is dead boring too," said Ron. "I mean, a change of scenery would be nice, y'know?"

Tonks nodded, sighing and picking her quill up again. She tugged absentmindedly at a strand of her hair, which was a dark violet color today.

"See, there's this school trip coming up next week to Arizona, and it's mandatory," said Ron, lying at the end. No need for them to know that going on the trip was actually optional, right? Besides, Hermione was upstairs forging their "guardian's" signature already. "I thought it'd be great if we could go."

Tonks snorted as she put her quill down again, giving Ron a sharp look. "Not a good idea, Ron," she said, serious for once. "Do you know what you're saying?" Ron shrugged. "You're saying that, instead of staying in Amity Park, where security is at it's tightest, you want to go to _Arizona _with minimal protection and risk getting blown up by Death Eaters, just because you're getting bored."

"…Blown up?"

"You know what I mean..."

"But we're going to have a project later on about the stuff that we learned on the trip, and it's worth half our grade!" Ron argued in a rather un-Ron-like manner.

Tonks blinked at this Hermione-ish complaint, but brushed it off. "Better you fail than get killed."

"But it's so cool there, Tonks," said Ron. "They've got this petrified wood that looks all weird, and a Painted Desert place that the Muggles say changes color or something…"

Tonks looked slightly interested.

"I hear it's really exciting there," Ron added. "Have you seen those things Muggles call action movies?"

"Yeah, I like those."

"Well, I heard that a lot of them were filmed near the national park," Ron said. This was a complete lie that Ron made up, but Tonks would never know, right? He had heard from Lupin that Tonks had a weakness for Muggle action films, and what better way to persuade her than to play on her appeals?

"Besides, if anyone was trying to follow us, this trip could throw them off our trail," Ron finished. This remark hit the nail on the head, and finally, Tonks made a noise of agreement in her throat.

"Fine, I'll see if I can convince Lupin," she said finally. Then, with a grin, she added, "This place sounds cool, so it wouldn't be a wasted trip."

Ron gave an inaudible sigh of relief, glad that the plan had worked. He had been holding his breath the whole time, hoping that Tonks hadn't seen the notes Hermione made him write on his hand so he wouldn't forget what to say to persuade her. He then grinned, knowing that Tonks had eaten up every word he said.

What was that Muggle phrase again? Oh yeah…

Hook, line, and sinker.

* * *

As the trio knew, Mrs. Weasley, with her sometimes ferocious and threatening personality, would be a tough nut to crack. But once they convinced her, then they practically had the whole "permission" thing nailed. And as everyone knew, the woman had a soft spot for Harry, thinking of him as another son. So who would be better to persuade her about the trip than Harry?

While Ron was busy being "Mr. Persuasive" with Tonks, Harry sidled up to Mrs. Weasley, hoping to look like he was just slipping into the kitchen to see what was going on. He peered over the woman's shoulder at the boiling pot of soup on the stove.

"That smells good, Mrs. Weasley," he complimented nonchalantly.

"Thank you, dear," she said. "It's one of my special recipes."

"Do you want me to set the table?" Harry asked.

"Yes, please," said Mrs. Weasley. "Here you are." She passed a stack of plates to Harry, who almost dropped them. Thankfully, Mrs. Weasley didn't notice.

After a pause, Harry started innocently, "Muggle school is barely as exciting as Hogwarts."

"I would think so. Those places don't even have moving portraits. Imagine that!"

"We've been learning Muggle science. It's pretty hard to understand, and the teachers are as dull as Professor Binns," Harry complained.

"You've been making friends, though, haven't you?" she asked. "Lenny, Sam, and Tucker or something?"

"Danny, actually," Harry corrected.

Mrs. Weasley sighed crossly. "I don't understand why you won't let us erase his friends' memories," she said. "The Ministry are _not _happy about that…they seem to think that it's a major security threat, and for once I agree with them. One careless slip of the tongue from your Muggle friends, and half the _town _could find out about us faster than you can blink."

"Danny's the only person other than them to know," said Harry. "They seem trustworthy, and besides, who would believe them if they _did _tell? Not to mention they're all friends with that Phantom person. I don't think it's smart to make him mad by Obliviating them. He seems to have a bad temper."

"I worry about this place," Mrs. Weasley said uneasily. "I went shopping the other day, and I heard some women gossiping…did you know that ghosts regularly attack this town? I'm not sure I like staying here." She frowned and shook her head. "The sooner this is all over, the better…"

Harry shifted nervously before discreetly changing the subject. "I think we could all use a change of scenery…see, there's a field trip coming up at school, a four-day trip to Arizona. We're going to visit a National Park, and Ron, Hermione, and I really wanted to go."

Mrs. Weasley suddenly narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Absolutely not!" she said. "What are you three _thinking_? Did I just not say how dangerous it is right now?"

"In Amity Park, yes," Harry protested. "I think it'll be good if we take a break from this town. I mean, non-transparent ghosts and supernatural things that even wizards haven't even heard of? There's something weird about this place…"

Molly Weasley calmed down slightly, but still argued back, "Harry, even staying in this place is better than allowing you to traipse through some sort of Muggle park with minimal protection. It's almost asking to be attacked."

Harry sighed, feigning disappointment. "I guess you're right."

"Harry, I'm sure there will be other chances for trips like this later in your life. It seems harsh, but this is for your own good."

"I know," Harry answered. "I suppose I'll just ask Danny and his friends how the trip was. I was looking forward to going, too, because the Durselys never took me with them on holidays. I really wondered what it was like."

Mrs. Weasley fidgeted uncomfortably, looking just the tiniest bit guilty. Harry was strongly reminded of last year, when he had persuaded a very drunk Horace Slughorn to give him an important memory. He decided now would be a perfect time to try out the same strategy.

"We were going to visit the Painted Desert, too," Harry lied. "The professor—well, they call them teachers here—said that the scenery there was amazing. I imagine my mum would've liked it. She seemed to be someone who'd admire a beautiful landscape like that…I'm sure she would've liked to go if—"

"You really do want to go, don't you?" Mrs. Weasley interrupted. Harry nodded, trying to hide his eagerness…he was close now, he could feel it. After a long pause, she finally snapped, "Oh, very well…I'll see if I can convince Arthur about this idea. When I do, he can inform the Order and Ministry about this trip." Harry cheered silently in his mind, and resisted the urge to grin.

Five minutes later, Harry, Ron, and Hermione met each other on the second floor. Each of them was smirking triumphantly. Seeing the looks on each others' faces, they knew that Hermione's plan had gone off without a hitch.

* * *

**  
Second Disclaimer: Agate House, although a real historical monument, was actually discovered almost a hundred years ago. The "history" behind it in this story was made up by me, so you've been warned: don't try to write a report on the information written here. :P**


	7. Chapter 7

**First off, I apologize for the late chapter. Unfortunately, I think all updates will take about three weeks or so from now on, since school is keeping me incredibly busy. Of course, if I'm given the right incentive, like reviews… (Is pelted with rotten vegetables) Heheh, sorry. Couldn't resist.**

**One day, I said to myself, "Gee, I wonder what people's reactions will be if I made this story Harry/Danny?" So, as a joke, I said to Shewhodanceswithdragons, "What would you do if I made my story a Harry/Danny slash fic?" And, I'm paraphrasing a bit, but basically, she told me cheerfully that she'd rip me to shreds. So no Danny/Harry pairing, even though I was joking. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Danny Phantom. Shocking, isn't it? Also, the quote after the chapter title was borrowed from the story "The Best Defense" by JoIsBishMyoga. If you don't want your quote in here, please notify me and I will remove it immediately. : )**

**Note: (Evil grin) I offer no apologies for how this chapter ends, because really, it's not going to be the last cliffhanger, and it's certainly not going to be the worst.**

**Thanks to the reviewers: alicat54, Firehedgehog, Phantom 13, Kelar the Mage, hikaranko, CrystalMind (again, sorry—I've changed it), kimcat, dAnnYsGiRL777, SquirrelGirl13, Phantom of a Rose, MajorDxSFantatic, Halfa-NariMaruko, FullmetalPipsqueak, Fk306 animelover, ghostanimal, Dragon Alchemist, HikaruOfArrow, PotterPhan21, Sasia, killerdoodlebug, Witch4ever, BugzAttack, hollybells1, and lil' munkies.**

**As always, thanks to SolaCatella for betaing. **

**

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"Ron, your elbow is digging into my stomach, and believe it or not, it's rather painful—"

"_Dash_! Like, move! You're smudging my eyeliner!"

"Hey, why are you holding a thermos?"

"Ow! That was my foot, you moron!"

"Not, wait, don't take your suitcase down yet—OUCH!"

"Sorry…"

So far, the bus ride to Arizona was not going overly well. The school lacked the proper funds to rent more than one small bus, so the whole class had to squeeze into one vehicle. They were already a large class; throw in more than a dozen chaperones, and that's quite a lot of people to be in one little bus. In the end, they fit…barely. People had to sit at least two to a seat, it was crowded, the air conditioner was broken, and tempers were running high, especially when Mr. Lancer assigned bus seats. Imagine the poor damage done to everyone's eardrums when Sam and Paulina were forced to sit together. Valerie had shrieked even louder when she discovered that her "buddy" for the trip was Nathan. On the other hand, Nathan was absolutely thrilled—he now had a valid reason to stalk Valerie without getting arrested.

To Danny's dismay, he was separated from Sam and Tucker. Instead, he had been given a seat next to Mikey. He was an okay guy, if not a bit of a nerd, but he just wouldn't…stop…talking. This only added to his headache, which had began early that morning. Maybe he was coming down with something…his legs were starting to feel like Jell-O, and he kinda felt like Play-Dough. Yes, Play-Dough.

"…and I'm so excited about this trip! It'll be so educational!" Mikey said eagerly. "And I'm looking forward to the lessons that—" He stopped abruptly. "Ugh…um…I don't feel to great. You feel kinda sick? I feel kinda sick."

Danny glanced at Mikey, who really did look a bit green.

Mikey groaned. "I think I'm gonna blow chunks…"

Danny's eyes widened. "Wait, don't! I have a paper bag—!"

Too late.

* * *

_**Harry Potter and the Ghost of Amity Park**_

_**Chapter Seven: Murphy's Law**_

**"Jaganshi, would you be so kind as to explain to me why exactly you're molesting a statue at one o'clock in the morning?" –Snape ("The Best Defense" by JoIsBishMyoga)**

* * *

"Wow, Danny, don't you wish we weren't in the middle of a crowded restaurant so you could phase the vomit off your jeans?" Sam asked, trying not to laugh. Tucker lacked the restraint and promptly collapsed in a fit of disturbingly high-pitched giggles. 

Danny gave them a rather offended look. "Just…cover me so I can go intangible."

Tucker wrinkled his nose. "No way, dude. It's hard enough standing this close to you, and you want me to huddle up? No thanks, the smell's already killing me, and I'm not suicidal. What the heck does Mikey eat?" After further inspection of Danny's jeans, he added, "Scratch that…I think he eats a lot of carrots."

Danny sighed, walking behind a trash can and phasing the rather chunky substance off his jeans. "Thanks, guys," he said sarcastically, leaving the…uh, stuff on the floor for an unfortunate employee to clean up. Danny was a nice guy and all, but the bus trip had seriously grated on his nerves.

"Look on the bright side…we're already on the outskirts of Petrified Forest," said Sam, crumpling up her napkin. She stared what was left of her food, a small plate of salad which consisted of a few wilted lettuce leaves and a couple of pathetically dry-looking tomatoes. It was liberally slathered in a strange-smelling dressing that was most definitely _not _the Thousand Island that Sam had requested. On a second thought, maybe she'd leave her salad for later… "One of the chaperones said that after everyone's finished eating here, we're going to check into our cabins."

"I just hope Lancer doesn't assign cabins," Danny said gloomily. "If I didn't have ghost powers, I think my pants would be soiled for the rest of eternity."

"And people say _I'm _melodramatic," Tucker said. Danny bounced a french fry off his forehead. "Gee, someone's grouchy."

"I just don't feel that great," said Danny. "I kinda feel like…like I'm gonna melt into a puddle of putty or something."

"…Putty?"

"Yeah."

Hermione chose that moment to walk over, dragging a heavy backpack along. "Danny, you left this up at the counter," she said, plunking it on the seat. Rolling her eyes, she added, "The employees were about to start digging through it before I came along. Really, it has to be against their company policy or something to do that…they could get fired!" She narrowed her eyes and stared at him. "Didn't Mikey throw up on you—?" she asked, a baffled look on her face.

"I, um—" Danny began, trying to make up an excuse at the top of his head. This wasn't good…why did Hermione have to have such good observational skills? "I had an extra pair of jeans in my bag," he amended hastily.

"But you left your book-bag back up at the counter," Hermione pointed out, confused.

"Oh, um—"

"Everyone please line up and head back to the bus," Mr. Lancer suddenly called out. Relief washed over Danny, who leapt up and practically ran to the bus with Tucker and Sam. Grabbing his backpack and throwing a quick "thanks" over his shoulder to Hermione, he rushed out the door, ignoring her protesting voice.

At this rate, his cover would be blown sky-high before the end of the month—!

* * *

"…and in the display to your left, you will find some extremely fascinating samples of residue left over from the formation of the petrified log in the front lobby! Isn't that exciting?" the museum guide asked in an overly-cheerful voice. Sam's eye twitched dangerously.

Hermione tapped her foot agitatedly as her friends glanced around the building. Ron had his face pressed up to a glass display, while Harry was scanning the artifacts in the room. Normally, the witch would be fascinated by the relics in the exhibition, but today there were more pressing matters to deal with.

Harry glanced around the room, searching for anything that resembled a locket. There was a shattered fragment of an old clay pot… a sample of a petrified log…another "fascinating" sub-species of petrified wood…Kwan picking his nose (ew) …and another unlit hallway, with a sign pointing to it saying "West Wing." Curiously, Harry walked towards it, wanting to take a quick look.

"Mr. Potter, where are you going?" one of the chaperones suddenly called out sharply. Harry groaned, twisting around to see the stern face of an Auror who was posing as the teenage Lupin's father.

"Ah, nowhere," he called, turning around to go back to the group. "I was taking a look at the West Wing."

"Oh, yes, the West Wing," the museum guide said, cheerfully bouncing on the balls of his feet. "That's where we've stored the artifacts from Agate House. We could visit it—"

_Yes! _Harry thought triumphantly, already thinking about their next step. Ron would cause a diversion, claiming to have lost his wallet. While everyone was distracted, Hermione would perform a complex Substitution Charm, switching the Horcrux in the display with a fake one. By the time anyone discovered the phony, they would be long gone.

"—but unfortunately, that section's closed during the fall and winter seasons," the man finished.

Harry's thoughts screeched to a sudden halt, and he stared, stunned. Behind him, he heard Ron smacking his forehead with disbelief.

Murphy's Law was a bitch.

* * *

"What are we going to do now?" Hermione asked quietly from the floor. She shifted restlessly, pushing down a protruding nail threatening to come loose from the floorboard.

Harry grunted, picking at the edges of his sleeping bag. Hermione had been assigned to cabin three, one of the two girls' cabins, but had snuck into Harry's cabin at midnight. The other boys were fast asleep, some sprawled haphazardly over their bunk beds. Dash Baxter was one twitch away from falling off the edge of his bed, and Kwan was snoring loudly. Danny lay curled inside his sleeping bag, frowning in his sleep.

"Let's get Ron," Harry muttered suddenly, sitting up.

Hermione glanced at him. "What are you planning to do?"

Harry had already slipped out of bed, groping sightlessly for his sneakers and jeans. "We're going to sneak out, of course."

Hermione pulled herself up, stumbling a bit. "To the museum?"

"Of course," Harry answered, unzipping his suitcase. After rummaging around a bit, he pulled something out.

"Is that the—"

"Invisibility Cloak? Yeah. It always pays off to be prepared." Stuffing it inside his jacket, Harry walked to the door, wincing when it squeaked loudly on its hinges. His classmates remained fast asleep, though Dash shifted a bit to the right, away from the edge of the bed.

Hermione followed him, closing the door softly. They crept toward the neighboring cabin, peering through the windows to make sure it was the right one. Harry turned back, shaking his head. It seemed to be the chaperones' cabin, and he had seen a bit more than he asked for. For example, he doubted that he would forget the sight of Mr. Lancer in Care Bear pajamas anytime soon.

Quietly, they crept to cabin one and opened the door. This was the larger boys' cabin, with high beams across the roof and a bulky, gaudy fan hanging from the ceiling. They found Ron in the bunk bed closest to the door and slunk over, trying to prod him awake.

Of course, Ron waved them off in his sleep, turning over to hug his pillow and mutter something about Viktor Krum and a pickax.

"Ron, wake up," Hermione hissed in his ear.

"Gerroff…"

"_Ron!_" Hermione said again, this time a bit more vehemently. The boy finally awoke, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"What's this 'bout?" he asked groggily. "'s morning already?"

"No, it's not, and keep your voice down," Harry whispered, waving the Invisibility Cloak in his face. "We're going to sneak into the museum. I don't care what it takes to get the Horcrux, we just _have _to get it. Who know where it'll be by the time we get another chance to come back here?"

"Right," Ron said, looking more alert now. He pulled on a coat, following Harry out the door. Hermione walked up to him and whispered in his ear, "You drool in your sleep?"

Ron blinked, embarrassed, and ran to catch up to Harry. Hermione laughed softly, and proceeded up the hill with her friends.

"What the plan, then?" Ron asked. "And shouldn't we put the Cloak on?"

Harry shook his head. "The museum's about a ten or fifteen minute walk from here, since we're in the same area. A round trip will take a while, and someone might notice we're gone in that time. We'll go even slower under the Invisibility Cloak. We don't really need it right now, since it's dark and no one will see us. Besides, we're blocked by that hill over there. We only need it when we get inside the museum, since I don't think we should disable every video camera that tapes us. It'll be too suspicious."

Ron nodded. "How do we sneak in to get the Horcrux, then? Don't Muggle places have those…those security alarms?"

"I've got that part figured out," Hermione interrupted. "I took Muggle Studies one year, and we spent a few weeks going over different types of Muggle security systems, and why they're useless compared to magic since some simple charms can disrupt them so easily. Trust me," she said, patting her pocket where her wand was stored, "I can get us in."

She couldn't resist one final jab.

"I told you Muggle Studies wasn't a complete waste of time."

* * *

Danny stirred restlessly, having a hard time staying asleep. It seemed that he was having a bad case of insomnia tonight, even though he was exhausted from the trip. Kwan's snoring wasn't helping matters, and neither were Dash's pig-like grunts. Judging from the thick arm dangling over the side of the bed, the jock was probably inches away from falling off the bed and colliding painfully with the floor.

_I wouldn't exactly stop him, _Danny thought darkly, spurred on by his lack of sleep.

A few minutes later, he had thankfully fallen asleep again. Imagine his irritation when he was awakened by a cold blast of air from the open door. He opened his eyes blearily to see it close, and, still half-asleep, put it off as an act of the wind. Ten minutes later, Danny slipped back to sleep again.

He was having an extremely strange dream about a black-and-white dragon with slick blond hair being crushed by a billboard when he awoke again, feeling intensely cold. He felt an icy breath bubbling up from his throat and gasped, releasing a blue wisp of mist.

"Oh, no," he groaned unenthusiastically, dragging himself out of bed. He was on a school trip, for goodness sake! When would these ghosts give him a break? Danny half contemplated waking Sam and Tucker up for this—misery loves company, after all—but then scrapped the idea. They probably needed their sleep.

He didn't even bother with his battle-cry as he transformed into Danny Phantom, slipping through the cabin wall. Floating lazily up into the air, he looked around for the ghost. Seeing something gray streak across the sky and past a hill, he frowned, deciding to follow it. Birds certainly didn't fly that fast, and planes wouldn't be flying so low, as there were no airports nearby.

Danny trailed the gray specter at a safe distance, waiting to see what it would do. He didn't get too close to it, just in case it decided to attack him, so he couldn't discern his or her features. The figure suddenly dove downwards, and Danny paused. It appeared to have phased into the museum they had visited earlier that day, and, curious, he followed it, turning and staying invisible once he entered the building.

The room he landed in was dark and rather dusty. The ghost he was tracking had disappeared, and, after a quick glance around at the black, barely discernible display cases for the apparition, he decided to search somewhere else. However, a strange scuffling noise suddenly came from another corner of the room. Squinting, Danny widened his eyes in shock when a tall figure abruptly appeared out of thin air. He was followed by two others, one obviously a girl with large bushy hair.

Come to think of it, they looked familiar…

"_Lumos_," two voices chorused, and suddenly two orbs of light appeared, illuminating their faces. Danny leaned back, recognized Harry, Ron, and Hermione. What were they doing here?

"All right," Harry said, "good work, Hermione. Now we just need to look at these things real quick and see if we can find the locket."

Danny frowned, puzzled, still floating invisibly in mid-air. Just what were these three going to do?

"Guys, I—" Hermione began shakily.

"_What are you brats doing in my museum?_" a shrill, horrible voice suddenly screeched, making all four teenagers' break out in cold sweat. Any shriller, and Danny was sure that the person could've cracked all the glass cases.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no…" Hermione moaned, terrified. "We've been caught, we're going to be in so much trouble—"

"Wait," Harry called out sharply, raising his wand higher. He frowned when he noticed that the person was glowing and her head was slightly transparent. "You…you're a ghost," he accused.

"Of course I'm a ghost, you ninny," the ghost exclaimed scathingly. "What did you _think _I was, your grandmother?"

Closer to the light, she seemed to look like anything _but _a grandmother. She did have the "old" part down, but other than that, she did not look like the kind of person who spent weekends baking cookies and cooing over adorable grandchildren. Her hair was up in a thin, tight bun, so tight that it looked like her hair was almost being pulled out. The old woman's chin jutted out sharply, and her nose seemed to make a perfect forty-five degree angle. She was dressed in a coarse looking gray skirt and had on an equally unappealing jacket.

Danny furrowed his eyebrows. On the outside, this ghost seemed harmless enough, if not a bit strict and prone to screeching.

And then she outstretched her crooked, bony fingers, letting a green energy gather around them.

Of course, you should never judge a book by its cover.

_Time for the hero to save the day, _Danny thought dryly as he turned back visible and dove down, forming a shield around his three classmates to block the blasts. To say that they were surprised was a big understatement. In fact, Harry had been in the middle of diving away when Danny swooped down, and was in a rather comical position where he seemed to be sprawled in midair. Ron and Hermione gaped at Danny wordlessly.

"You…what…" Ron spluttered, staring at him.

"Nice to see you too," said Danny, dissipating the shield. "Now can you please run far away, preferably to at least the other side of the room, so you won't get hurt and blame it on me?"

The three were only too happy to oblige.

The old woman seemed close to frothing at the lips. "Insolent children!" she shrieked, glaring daggers at Danny. "You little urchins have no appreciation for art and history! You're all destructive little toddlers who spend your time playing your brain-decaying video games! How dare you sneak in here at night! I'll bet you were trying to filch these precious artifacts, weren't you, you little sneaks?"

Hermione shrunk further into the wall, even though the ghost wasn't looking at her.

"I can't believe there's a _museum_ ghost who's just as crazy as the Lunch Lady…hmm, maybe they can be bingo buddies," Danny mused to himself. "Anyway, I'm tired, and I want to go back to bed, so how about we wrap this up quickly?"

Grinning, he formed an ecto-blast, concentrating on the wrinkled ghost and preparing to fire it at her. Suddenly, he felt an intense wave of nausea and stumbled in midair, face paling rapidly. A strange warmth converged at his chest, proceeding to travel through his entire body, and he felt like a piece of taffy over a heater.

Trying to regain his balance, he was shocked to see that his whole body had started to blur at the edges and lose its form.

_I'm melting, _he thought giddily.

Funny what passes through your mind at moments like these.


	8. Chapter 8

**First of all, I am EXTREMELY sorry about this late chapter. You see, I was procrastinating on it because of the dreaded writer's block (twitch), and before I know it, exams rolled by. I know I failed the Spanish.**

**You guys must be extra-angry because of the cliffhanger last chapter. Whoops.**

**…Now that I think about it, the ending for this chapter is almost as bad as the one last chapter. (Is pelted with rotten vegetables)**

**Thanks to: khaosfire, SpartanCommander, Shadow Crystal Mage, Mako-Magic, Kantrix Gabriel, -XSasukeUchihaX-, just asking (nope, guess again!), Linda, RandomObsessivePsychoFangirl, Witch4ever, Samantha Seldowitz, Stranger, Sweeteen19, Nonasuki-chan, WhiteRat63, PotterPhan21, BugzAttack, dAnnYsGiRl777, Zensu14, hetfan7708, lil' munkies, SquirrelGirl13, Sasia93, Firehedgehog, Fk306 animelover, ghostanimal, hikaranko, Egyptian Ghost Kitty, Shiva the Sarcastic, Mysterious Prophetess, kimcat, and Shewhodanceswithdragons (I suppose).**

**Beta-ed by the ever-supportive SolaCatella.**

**Disclaimer: If disclaimers were horses, then beggars would ride…or something.

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Danny groaned with discomfort, trying to stay up in the air. Behind him, Harry, Ron, and Hermione stared as he seemed to liquefy. Horrified, they watched as he completely lost his form, now resembling nothing more than a black and silver puddle of melted, disembodied goop.

As quickly as the change came, it left, Danny's form suddenly solidifying like lava coming in contact with water. A strange feeling passed through his body. He felt like a piece of clay being quickly molded into a definite shape, being stretched and prodded and shaped into something new. Within a matter of seconds, Danny had become solid again.

_What happened? _Danny thought, alarmed. He breathed deeply, bringing his hand up to brush it through his hair.

And almost screamed.

Instead of a white-gloved hand, the limb was bare and, more importantly, wrinkled and twisted. Danny's gaze traveled from his hand up his arm and to the rest of the body.

There was a silence.

"This…is embarrassing," Danny finally said.

It seemed that he had a new power…_he could morph_.

And it looked like he had turned himself into an old lady. No, even worse, he had turned himself into the prune-like ghost floating across from him, staring at him blankly.

Somewhere in the room, there was an awkward cough.

This would be a _great _story to tell at parties.

* * *

_**Harry Potter and the Ghost of Amity Park**_

_**Chapter Eight: Gray Dawn**_

**"Ignorance is having to squish the same spider three times before realizing that something is wrong." –Anonymous**

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* * *

**

"I am an old lady," Danny said calmly to himself, trying not to scream hysterically. "I have sagging skin, about a hundred wrinkles, and arthritis. Deep breaths, Danny, concentrate on changing yourself back…"

Unfortunately, the ghost heard him, and looked livid. "Are you insulting me, boy?"

"Quiet, I'm trying to think!" Danny snapped, waving his gnarled hand impatiently. "Now, let's see…how the heck did I manage to end up like this, anyway?"

Danny paused briefly, thinking back to the few seconds before this strange transformation. Still shocked at what was going on, the elderly museum ghost and his classmates didn't budge an inch.

_Let's see…_Danny thought, tapping his fingers nervously. _What was I doing when this happened?_

Well, he had just been powering up an ecto-blast…and concentrating on his opponent. So maybe the key to the transformation was in concentration…

Quickly screwing his eyes shut, Danny thought as hard as he could about his usual form. White hair, green eyes, black and white jumpsuit, teenage body…

The gelatinous feeling suddenly came back again, but this time, Danny felt relief as he saw his features blur. Still unaccustomed to the feeling, Danny watched apprehensively as his body once again turned into another solidified form.

Danny glanced down, relieved beyond measure to see he had his own body back.

"All right," he called out confidently, "now that that's over with, we can—"

"_Who's there?_" a loud voice rang out from the hallway.

All five froze at the sound. The museum ghost smirked triumphantly, pointing at the four teenagers. "That'll teach you to sneak around _my _museum at night," she cackled. With a satisfied laugh, she turned intangible and dove into the ground, disappearing from sight.

"_Hide!_" Danny hissed at his classmates. Hermione had gone pale, while Harry was digging around his pockets frantically. Danny, who had gone invisible, was about to go help the three when Harry finally whipped out a cloak from his jacket, throwing it hurriedly over himself and his friends.

A large, burly man rushed into the room a fraction of a second after that, waving around a flashlight. Judging from his uniform, he was quite obviously a security guard.

"Who's there?" he repeated in a booming voice, scanning the room with his flashlight. His footsteps echoed loudly as he scoured the room. "Whoever you are I know you're in here! I heard voices!"

His flashlight eventually landed on Harry, Ron, and Hermione, who were hidden under the cloak. Danny frowned, worried. The cloak seemed to be magical, making his friend invisible, but he could still clearly see the outlines of three bodies. Surely the security guard would find them…

To Danny's amazement, the man's gaze swept over the three's outlines as if he hadn't seen anything. "I must be hearin' things…" he muttered under his breath, annoyed. Whipping his flashlight around, he stalked out of the room, grumbling under his breath. A minute later, the front door slammed. A bolt clicked, locking it securely.

"That was close," Danny sighed as he became visible again. He turned to Ron, Harry, and Hermione. "And you three! What are you doing wandering around here at this time of night?"

"We could ask you the same thing," Harry grumbled, pulling the cloak off.

Danny avoided the indirect question, focusing on the fabric in Harry's hands instead. "Hey, what's that?"

"It's an Invisibility Cloak," said Harry. "It makes you invisible, obviously."

Danny stared at it. "You've got to be kidding. I could see you three clearly under that thing."

Harry's fingers fumbled over his jacket zipper. "What?" he asked, disbelief coloring his tone.

"No one can see through an Invisibility Cloak without some sort of powerful magic," Ron said, amazed. "And you're not even a wizard!"

"Well, I couldn't exactly see you _clearly_," Danny explained. "More like…like your outlines. Do you think it could be something to do with me being a ghost?"

Ron looked almost worshipful. "Magic can't affect you, and now you can see through Invisibility Cloaks…what _can't _ghosts do?"

"Stay out of trouble," Danny said dryly. "And neither, for that matter, can you three."

"Yeah, now that we're back on the subject, what happened back there?" Ron asked.

"A ghost attack, of course," Danny said simply, "although it wasn't as bad as most. For one thing, no property damage." _And I got a new power,_ Danny thought to himself. _Though I don't think I should tell Sam and Tucker what really happened…they'd never let me live it down._

While the three boys were talking, Hermione had slowly wandered halfway across the room. Her black silhouette had paused over a shadowy display case plopped in a dark corner, and her wand was raised.

"What are you doing?" Danny asked curiously. Hermione straightened up hurriedly, glancing back at him. As she smoothed her coat, she snuck something into her pocket without even glancing down. The movement went unnoticed.

"Nothing," she said innocently, walking back to the group. "I thought I saw something that was in my History of Magic textbooks, that's all."

"As I was saying, why are you three here? I think sneaking into museums is illegal…" Danny said half-jokingly.

"What about _you_?" Hermione said as she dodged the question. "No, what we should be asking is, what are you doing all the way here in Arizona?"

Danny shrugged, answering, "Hey, I can't stick around Amity Park all the time, can I? It gets boring after a while."

"What a coincidence that we all met up here, then," Hermione said, her tone full of hidden suspicion.

Danny sighed, deciding now was a good time to change the subject. "Look, you guys should get outta here in case that security guard decides to come back. I'll stick around to see if the other ghost is still here."

Hermione's eyes hardened. "No," she said firmly, surprising the wizards. "I know you've been hiding something, Phantom, and I want to know what it is."

Danny tried to hide his panic. "I…I don't know what you're talking about."

Harry and Ron looked at Hermione tensely, wondering what she had figured out.

"I don't know what it is you're trying to conceal," said Hermione, "but I'd like to think that we're friends, and we would like to know. Maybe we can even help."

Danny shook his head, staring at Hermione. "Look, I don't know what getting at…"

"I know you always stay at Amity Park," Hermione said. "I've asked around, and people say you spend most of your time here. Some people say you're evil—"

"Valerie…" Danny muttered under his breath.

"—although I don't think so. But I do want to know just _what _is going on."

The ghost paused for a minute, looking at Hermione solemnly. However, a few seconds later, his face split into a grin.

"How about this?" he said. "I'll tell you what I'm doing here if you'll tell me what _you're _doing at this museum in the middle of the night."

Hermione spluttered angrily. "That's not fair!" she exclaimed huffily. "Hey, you come back here—!"

Laughing, Danny went intangible as he soared through the roof, leaving behind an irate Hermione and two puzzled wizards.

"Hermione, just _what_ were you going on about?" Ron demanded. Hermione ignored him, glaring sulkily at the spot on the ceiling where Danny flew through.

Ron turned to Harry. "Blimey, I hate it when she won't tell us what's going on."

Harry could only agree.

Hermione suddenly snapped out of her mood, turning to her friends. "I almost forgot, I have—"

"All right, I _know _I heard something this time!" an angry voice shouted. "Now come out now, whoever is in here!"

The three immediately dove under the Invisibility Cloak again as the beefy security guard from before stormed back in. His eyes swiveled around the room but failed to find anyone or anything suspicious.

"I could've _sworn_…" he mumbled. He paused for a moment, bewildered. "All right, you know what?" he called out to the (seemingly) empty room. "I'm gonna find out what's going on here if I hafta stay here the whole night!" With that, he sat himself down beside a display case, plopping his flashlight down beside him.

"Let's get out of here," Hermione whispered as soft as she could, eyeing the man nervously.

"But the Horcrux—"

"_We need to get out of here!_" Hermione said again, a bit louder this time. Fortunately, the security guard didn't hear them.

As quietly as they could, the three of them started shuffling to the exit. The going was extremely awkward, and it didn't help that the three of them were all varying heights. In fact, Ron, who was rapidly reaching a height of six feet, had to bend down uncomfortably so his sneakers wouldn't show, while Hermione, who was the shortest of the three, was squeezed tightly between the two.

Their walk to the hallway took an incredibly long time. After they reached it, they broke into a shuffling gait, half jogging and half walking, still mindful to keep quiet. There had been a heart-stopping moment when the museum door squeaked loudly, but the security guard inside either didn't notice or had fallen asleep. Closing it as quietly as they could behind them, Harry, Hermione, and Ron rushed back to their cabins as fast as they could.

Traveling under Harry's Invisibility Cloak, they all discovered, was not a fun thing to do.

Ron looked absolutely elated when they reached the cabins, but his joy was short-lived. To both he and Harry's confusion, Hermione all but forcefully dragged them to a dilapidated-looking shed behind the cabins. As she shoved them in, she closed the door behind them, locking it shut and even going as far as to put a Silencing Charm on the room.

"What is it now?" Ron spluttered, brushing the thick layers of dust from his hair. The shed was extremely old, filled with piles upon piles of useless, broken junk. Dust coated every inch of available space, and he tried not to think about the web on the ceiling.

"_Lumos,_" Harry said, lighting up his wand. He turned to Hermione. "Why did you make us leave at the museum?" he demanded. "We were so close to getting the Horcrux!"

"The guard was there, and we couldn't risk getting caught," Hermione said. "Besides, what if the Aurors found out? Then we'd be in more trouble, and we'd probably be taken back to Amity Park. Or worse, the Order would insist we be home-schooled."

Harry had to agree that that was a good point.

"But we were still close to getting the Horcrux!" Ron argued. "Now we'll have to do this again tomorrow night, and what if that really old ghost shows up again?"

"We won't have to," Hermione assured, grinning.

Harry paused, eyes widening when he realized what the witch was saying. "You mean…"

Hermione gave him a self-satisfied smile. "While you two were talking to Phantom about the Invisibility Cloak, I snuck to the locket's display case and did my Substitution Charm."

"But…it was dark, how did you figure out which case it was?" Ron asked.

"I was looking at the captions under the displays before the ghost attacked," Hermione explained, "and managed to find the caption with the information about the locket. Of course, I didn't quite see the locket clearly, but I did manage to catch a glimpse of it before Danny interrupted and I had to put it in my pocket. I could tell it was golden."

"Then…you have it?" Harry asked. His voice was calm, but his hands were shaking and there was an excited light to his eyes.

"I think so…" Hermione said. "If Rainbird Anaba Blair is the RAB we're looking for, then this locket should be the Horcrux."

With that, Hermione reached slowly into her pocket, pulling out a dull golden locket and handing it to Harry.

Harry looked down at it, bringing it up to the light. He quickly flipped it over, examining every square inch of it. Size, color, markings…he inspected it carefully. But he already knew. The excited look froze on his face, becoming a hardened mask.

They had been wrong.

This locket was not the Horcrux.

* * *

**Reviews are like food to me. Feed me! (:**


	9. Chapter 9

This chapter is evil. You will all hate me by the end of it. Good news is, I plan on updating soon, so you won't have to suffer for long. .

Thanks to: Twinkle Phantom, Knight25, Dr. Dani Seuss, dizappearingirl, dAnnYsGiRl777, BugzAttack, purrbaby101, Millie M. Banshee, egyptianqueen777, FreakishlyObsessedVampyreGi…, WhiteRat63, Nonasuki-chan, Kantrix Gabriel, Horselvr4evr123, Lunargurl101, PotterPhan21, msweetie913, Shewhodanceswithdragons, GadgetCid, Sasia93, SpartanCommander, Sweeteen19, Shiva the Sarcastic, and ghostanimal.

And of course, thanks to SolaCatella for beta-ing.

Sorry about the short chapter…but hey, at least I didn't take over a month to update. :) Chapter ten will, however, be very long.

As a side note, some of you may want to check chapter eight and see if you've read it yet. I think this website was having a problem with email alerts when I updated last time.

Disclaimer: The day I own Danny Phantom or Harry Potter is the day my Spanish teacher stops assigning so much homework. (Looks hopeful) Seriously, I don't know which would be better.

* * *

Deep in the Ghost Zone, in the parts inhabited by none but the most powerful and mysterious of ghosts, lies a large building adorned with a clock. It permeates a strange aura, both repelling and drawing others in. However, few have ever ventured inside, and those that have are quickly dealt with.

Two ghosts stand watch at the front door, their tall, foreboding green figures unmoving. These one-eyed, robe-adorned spirits, the Observants, watch over the work of the edifice's inhabitant, guiding and, in some cases, issuing orders.

If you proceed inside the fortress, past numerous dark halls and long, empty corridors you would have never imagined the building to possess, you will finally enter a large but cluttered atrium. It is filled with gears attached to the wall and ceiling or suspended in midair by numerous rods and poles. Strange medallions dangle on one side of the room, glinting innocently, while an old, battered thermos lies on a rickety table in a dark corner.

Perhaps the most curious thing in the room is what appears to be a cross between an Indian dream-catcher and a portal. Where the netting of the dream-catcher is supposed to be, it is empty, save for a peculiar swirling green vortex.

The green mass will intermittently focus into images of people and places before reverting back to its usual form. It is in one of these intervals that we find something of interest.

An indistinguishable individual wearing a black robe is hurrying down a wide, empty street. His face is indiscernible, hidden by the fabric on his cloak. His movements are quick, jerky, and unsure, almost frightened. One could definitely tell that this young man was nervous.

Who is he? Only timewill tell.

And an unnoticed figure stood in the shadows, a blue hood covering his face as he raised his staff.

Let the broken circle close…

* * *

Harry Potter and the Ghost of Amity Park

Chapter Nine: Hunters and Dragons

"I discovered I scream the same way whether I'm about to be devoured by a Great White or if a piece of seaweed touches my foot." –Axel Rose, Guns'n'Roses

* * *

"'Ave ze eenvitations been owled yet?" Fleur asked, brandishing a roll of parchment and almost hitting Hermione. The young witch scowled, ducking down just in time. She tossed her quill down, exasperated.

"No, Fleur, but Mrs. Weasley and I are sending them out tomorrow morning," Hermione said, trying to stop an overexcited Fleur from destroying the living room. She managed to latch on to the woman's arm, prying the parchments from her grasp and setting them down on the table next to Ron, who was staring at his History of Magic textbook with a confused look on his face. "There aren't that many, so it shouldn't take too long."

Ever since the disastrous trip to Arizona, Ron and Hermione had expected Harry to be in one of his touchy moods, rarely talking to anyone and easily set off. So they had barely said anything to each other, resulting in an awkward silence. It had been like that for a grand total of about seven hours.

That was when Fleur and Bill unexpectedly swept in, announcing their sudden wedding plans.

The summer had been too hectic, they explained, for them to be properly wedded. But now that everything had decidedly cooled down, their long-delayed wedding could go ahead as planned. They also decided, amidst protests that they should have a better arrangement, to have the wedding here in Amity Park inside Harry, Ron, and Hermione's temporary home. That way, the members of the Order, most of who were living in Amity Park temporarily, wouldn't have to travel back to England for the marriage ceremony.

Mrs. Weasley, of course, disapproved, arguing that the house was too small to hold a proper wedding with numerous guests. But before she could finish, Bill and Fleur objected. They didn't want a big wedding, they claimed. Just close friends and family. Surely that wouldn't risk the security around the house, and the Weasleys could easily attend it without having to travel very far.

Mrs. Weasley finally consented. Needless to say, many of the Order were in shock for quite a while.

Fleur and Bill had wanted the wedding to go ahead as soon as possible, worried that something else would come up before they could get married. So far, everything was going smoothly. Bill's werewolf bites didn't seem to have changed him much, although he was still isolated during every full moon as an extra precaution. About a dozen wedding invitations had been written and sealed, ready to be sent out by owls the next morning, and decorations were already being put up. However, Fleur was still fussing over her wedding dress, driving almost everyone crazy with her twittering.

Needless to say, Harry now had much more in mind than the botched plan to retrieve the Horcrux, and the cause of that was currently in a frenzied state in the living room.

"Zey do not 'ave much selection in zees magazine," Fleur sighed, tossing a thick catalogue onto the couch. "Zey do not 'ave what I am looking for."

Bill picked up the thick magazine, flipping through the pages rapidly. "You'd look good in anything," he reassured his fiancée. "How 'bout this dress here?"

Fleur waved it aside at a glance. "Too green," she declared. "I would look like _shrubbery_."

Bill bent over to mutter something unintelligible in Fleur's ear, causing her to laugh as he wrapped his arms around her. Behind them, Ron made exaggerated puking motions. Harry snorted while Hermione merely sighed, trying to immerse herself with the thick History of Magic tome they were supposed to be studying.

"Shouldn't you have your dress picked soon?" Harry asked hurriedly before Fleur and Bill decided to launch into anything more…intimate. "The wedding's in a week."

"Eet ees so 'ard to decide," Fleur sighed. "I want to find _ze _perfect dress. I theenk I will 'ave eet tailor-made."

"At Madam Malkin's?"

"I'm not completely sure yet," Fleur said, thinking it over. "My muzzer knows a very good shop in France. I might 'ave my dress made zere."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione's tutor, a young witch with a bad perm, sniffed haughtily, perhaps jealous.

Ron opened his mouth to say something, but right at that moment the doorbell rang loudly, echoing through the corridors and sounding faintly in the living room.

"Will someone please get the door?" Mrs. Weasley called from the kitchen.

"I'll go," Harry volunteered, motioning for Ron to sit back down. He pulled himself up from the floor, throwing down his notes. He was sure that he wouldn't be able to get much studying done now anyway.

"Who would come over to _our _house right after dinner?" Harry grumbled as he walked out the room. He traipsed down the hall, reaching the door and yanking it open.

"Yes? Who—"

The question died on his lips as his eyes widened.

Standing there at the door was Draco Malfoy.

Oh yeah…Harry _definitely _wouldn't be getting much studying done today.

* * *

Sam and Tucker were currently sprawled on the floor in Danny's room, notes and worksheets strewn everywhere. Danny was hovering over them in his bed, hanging upside down and frowning at the red marks on his paper.

"Ugh, there's so much stuff to cover for the English test tomorrow," he groaned. "I hope I don't have to go after a ghost tonight. I'll fail if I don't study."

"You just tossed Youngblood back into the Ghost Zone yesterday," Sam mused absentmindedly, flipping through her binder. "There probably won't be another ghost out so soon."

"Yeah, but didn't your ghost sense go off during lunch today?" Tucker asked Danny.

"I never did find the ghost," Danny admitted. "Hopefully it was just the Box Ghost or Kitty and Johnny 13 out for one of their monthly cruises again."

"Man, shouldn't you be worried that Johnny 13 and his girlfriend get out so much?" Tucker asked.

Danny shrugged the best he could while hanging upside-down. "We made a deal. If he doesn't cause any problems, he can come every few weeks. But if he so much as breaths wrong, I can toss him back into the Ghost Zone." As an afterthought, he added, "I still think Kitty put him up to it."

Sam made a "hm" of agreement.

"You know what Johnny 13 is? He's whipped," Danny laughed.

"Oh really?" Tucker asked in a nonchalant tone too realistic to be sincere, glancing meaningfully between his two best friends. "Kinda sounds like someone I know, then."

Danny reddened, grabbing his notes and shuffling them with unusual vigor.

"Uh, can we start quizzing each other now?" he asked hurriedly, trying not to sound too awkward.

"Wait a second, Danny, I wanted to ask you something," Sam said, rolling on her back to look up at Danny. "What exactly happened on the school trip to Arizona? All you told us was that you got a new morphing power and something about a museum that Ron, Hermione, and Harry were wandering around in."

"Yeah, they never told me what they were doing there…" Danny recalled.

"Didn't you ask?" Tucker questioned.

"Oh, I did," Danny said, waving his hand carelessly. "But Hermione started asking me what was up with me, and she wouldn't tell me what they were up to if I didn't tell them what _I _was up to, as if saving them wasn't enough—"

"Whoa, wait a sec," Sam said suddenly, shooting up. "You sound like Hermione was suspicious about you or something. Start at the beginning."

"Fine," Danny sighed. "I got up in the middle of the night because my ghost sense went off, right? And it led me to the museum, where I found those three running around under a…an 'Invisibility Cloak.' I was about to ask them what was up before some crazy museum ghost attacked and I suddenly got my new morphing power, but before I could fight the ghost off a security guard came. That was basically what happened."

"And after that?"

"I was going to leave, but Hermione kept on asking about what I was hiding. So I asked her that she had better tell _me _what they were doing in the museum in the middle of the night before I told them anything. I went home and practically passed out in my bed, then woke up in the morning to the sound of Dash falling off the bunk bed and onto the floor. I laughed. The end."

Sam and Tucker laughed at the end before looking at Danny seriously.

"Dude, that Hermione girl's practically got you all figured out," Tucker said. "And who knows what else she can find out with her…voodoo and stuff?"

"It's not voodoo, Tuck, it's magic," said Sam. "God, I felt like something out of a Disney cartoon when I said that." She slammed her head on the floor, sighing, before looking up again. "I'm not trying to sound all scary and stuff when I say this, Danny, but I think we should stay away from the wizards and the witch for a while…especially Hermione. We can't risk her finding out your secret."

"You're probably right," Danny agreed. "I just can't believe she's figuring it out so fast…I mean, she's closer to finding me out than all of the people in Amity Park combined."

"Being oblivious is their God-given talent, Danny," Sam said. "It'd be a shame to waste it."

"…That was sarcasm, right?" Tucker asked. Sam rolled her eyes, laughing.

"We need to get back to studying," Danny urged. "I really wanna pass this thing tomorrow."

However, Danny's request went unfulfilled as the door bell suddenly rang. All three of them groaned.

"Who could that be?" Tucker asked. "Didn't your parents take Jazz to some psychology convention?"

"Yeah, so it couldn't be them," Danny said. "I don't know…maybe they'll go away if we ignore them."

"Oh yeah, that's nice," Sam said, but did as Danny suggested.

However, whoever was at the door kept ringing the bell insistently for almost a minute. Finally, Danny couldn't take it any longer and phased through the floor too the front door, annoyed.

"It'd better not be a prank," he muttered under his breath. Once he got to the door, he wrenched it open. The person outside was still ringing the bell.

"_What?_" Danny hissed, then froze.

Outside of his door stood Valerie Grey, who was on the verge of unconsciousness. She was in what remained of her battle-suit, which was now covered in ragged holes. The ghost hunter was covered in large, gaping wounds, some of which were still bleeding freely. An ugly bruise was rapidly forming on one side of her face.

"Valerie, what happened?" Danny demanded.

"It's…the ghost kid," she managed to gasp out. "But…he's different, somehow. He said…" she gulped, then continued. "He said he was _you_."

Danny stood there at the door, paralyzed. What was he supposed to do?

"It's not true, is it?" Valerie wheezed out. "It's not—"

She swayed unsteadily on her feet, then teetered forward. Danny managed to catch her clumsily and kicked the door shut hurriedly with his foot.

What was Valerie talking about? And how did she figure out the connections between Danny and his alter-ego? Moreover, who was this other Danny Phantom Valerie was talking about? Danny's head was spinning, and he wanted to just collapse somewhere and think. He half-carried and half-dragged Valerie to the couch, setting her down awkwardly.

He heard something clattering down the stairs and turned to see Sam and Tucker walking towards him, surprised looks on their faces. He opened his mouth to explain and see if they could make any sense of what was happening.

And that was when his ghost sense went off.

* * *

That's right, the main plot is unraveling.

Next update: In three weeks at the most. I promise.

Please review! Constructive criticism is appreciated, blatant flattery is coveted. :D


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